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Yank Technologies, a leader in long-range, high-power wireless charging, has been awarded two NASA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I contracts to advance new wireless power technologies for robotic systems operating on the Moon and Mars.
As NASA prepares for sustained lunar surface missions, robotic vehicles and equipment will need reliable ways to transmit, receive, and manage electrical power. Regolith can accumulate on the conductive terminals of electrical connectors, where its strong insulating properties can interfere with power transfer, presenting a significant mission risk. Additionally, increasingly power-intensive missions require more compact and efficient power conversion with built-in diagnostics to monitor system performance.
Yank Technologies is developing two new wireless power systems for the Moon and Mars: a Modular Wireless Power System for Umbilical Applications and High-Power Density Kilowatt AC-DC Converters with Self-Diagnostics.
Under the first award, Yank Technologies is developing a modular, kilowatt-class wireless power system for NASA robotic vehicles and equipment. By transferring power without physical contact, the system is designed to reduce the risk of connector degradation caused by regolith accumulation. The technology is also designed to maintain reliable power transfer when the transmitter and receiver are not precisely aligned, adjusting dynamically for different power levels and product positions.
Under the second award, Yank Technologies is developing a high-power density AC-DC converter with real-time self-diagnostics. The converter is designed to deliver kilowatt-class power in a smaller, lighter form factor while monitoring operating conditions such as voltage, current, and component temperature to identify potential system degradation during operation.
Both technologies are modular and scalable, supporting NASA's goal of developing adaptable power systems for a range of vehicles, payloads, and scientific equipment in future lunar and planetary missions.
"These new contracts expand our wireless power offerings to NASA with an emphasis on modularity and scalability for a variety of NASA products on lunar and planetary surfaces," said Josh Yank, CEO of Yank Technologies. "These developments mark our seventh and eighth wireless power contracts with NASA and reflect the agency's continued investment in wireless power technologies for the Moon and Mars."
