Wireless Charging & DeepColor Technology from DuPont Corian

I met with DuPont Corian in September at the 100% Design expo in London, where they presented several new products to the market. In response the popularity of the color gray (perhaps inspired by a certain steamy book trilogy) Dupont has introduced six new shades of the hue into their palette. Taking things a bit darker is Deep Nocturne, a saturated black option that is the first solid surfacing product created in the company’s Deep Color Technology. A massive wall of Deep Nocture made up a striking feature in the booth at the expo.

DuPont has also announced a collaboration with the Power Matters Alliance (PMA) industrial coalition. The company will be working on the integration of PMA-compatible wireless charging solutions for smartphones and tablets into work surfaces made with Corian. I tested it out on my iPhone at a functioning charging countertop at the booth. I just plugged in a connector to the base of the phone, placed it on the counter, and it instantly began charging the phone. I think it’s a great seamless solution for both residential and public spaces, but my only concern is that since technologies evolve so quickly a charger that is permanently embedded into a countertop might become obsolete before it’s time to change the countertops again. I’d be interested to hear what designers and architects think of the technology. Is it a solution your clients are asking for?

All images courtesy DuPont Corian, except where noted.