Zimbabwean innovator says he’s developed TV that doesn’t need power cable

In Africa, there are several communities without electricity, essentially cutting them off the ‘global village.’ As a result, they are unable to use devices that rely principally on electricity like radio and television for entertainment and information.

This challenge is about to be nipped in the bud with an innovative technology led by a Zimbabwean called Maxwell Chikumbutso. He is the founder of Saith Holdings Inc. under which he made headlines for his serial innovations including electric cars and a multi-fueled helicopter, according to the Herald.

Now, the innovator says he has invented a cordless powered television set. According to the Herald newspaper, Chikumbutso succeeded in embedding the wireless power generator that uses radio frequency (RF) energy on a 55 inch UHD Samsung TV set eliminating the use of power cables, on-grid power and the size of the TV power supply gadgets.

“It has no cables connected to it. It is self powered. When you look at the rear end of the TV instead of the glossy front, what’s notable is that it doesn’t have any cables connected to it,” he tells Herald.

“This TV gets its power from RF through a device called MSED. It’s self powered and the TV uses green energy harnessed from RF using an electronic device we developed MSED. That’s where the world is going now. Free energy and self-powered wireless gadgets.”

He says his invention has come at the right time considering many households in Africa do not have electricity. According to the lnternational Energy Agency, some 600 million people lack electricity.

Chikumbutso notes that with an RF-powered television set, it is possible to help the majority of the poor to watch television in the comfort of their homes.

“With an RF powered generator embedded on a TV set, it is now possible for many people to enjoy watching TV whilst they are off-grid,” he says. “For me, this started off as a dream in 2003, but today it’s now a reality. We have successfully developed a solution that powers televisions, smartphones, laptop computers, fridges just to name a few.”

Herald reports that the testing confirmed the 55 inch UHD Samsung TV set, which is embedded with an MSED, harnesses RF then converts it into pure energy.

“It produces 500w with 15Amps that means that TV can also power additional 2 x 100w light builds to light the house,” says Chikumbutso. “Right now we are miniaturizing the MSED to be smaller so that we can integrate it in cell phones, computers, laptops and decoders. It will be inside those devices now. Technology is moving to cordless electronic devices. That’s where we are going. This year we are moving and nothing will stop us.”

TechZim reports that Chikumbutso’s concept isn’t new because Samsung debuted a radio-frequency powered TV remote at Consumer Electronics Show 2022 which also has a small solar panel on the back. “However, what Maxwell Chikumbutso has done, if true, could mean that conventional electrical infrastructure is a thing of the past because it will all be antenna arrays. TVs, smartphones and all other devices will be radio frequency powered,” TechZim writes.