Interviews by Jonathan Kersting
Everyone's building bigger AI models, but what good is a brain without a nervous system?
In this episode of 10 Minute Tech Talks, Jonathan Kersting sits down with Powercast CEO Charlie Goetz to explore how Pittsburgh's wireless power pioneer is turning the AI explosion into its biggest opportunity yet. Charlie explains why AI needs a dense network of always-on sensors to truly understand the physical world — and why batteries can't keep up. After more than 20 years perfecting radio-frequency power delivery, Powercast is uniquely positioned to wirelessly charge the edge sensors that make "physical AI" a reality in smart factories, buildings, and cities.
It's a story about persistence, timing, and why the most important layer of the AI stack might not be software at all.
What if you never had to plug in your phone, swap a sensor battery, or think about charging the thousands of smart devices around you? Pittsburgh's Powercast has been building that future for more than two decades — and they're just getting started.
Host Jonathan Kersting (Pittsburgh Technology Council & TechVibe Radio) sits down with Powercast CEO Charlie Goetz to unpack how radio frequency (RF) technology delivers power through the air, no wires, no pads, no alignment required.
One Transmitter, Dozens of Devices
Charlie breaks down the three flavors of RF power — intentional, anticipated, and ambient — and explains why RF's one-to-many approach is fundamentally different from Qi pads and magnetic resonance. One transmitter can power dozens of endpoints simultaneously, just like a radio tower where every car pulls the same signal.
Batteries Aren't the Enemy
Powercast isn't anti-battery — they trickle-charge them, work alongside them, and see them as part of a larger ecosystem. But when sensors are embedded in walls, moving parts, or hard-to-reach places, RF wireless power changes the math on total cost of ownership.
"Our Stuff Will Take Care of Us"
Charlie shares a vision of a world where devices interrogate their environment and automatically find the best available power source — inductive in the countertop, magnetic resonance on the walls, RF everywhere — seamlessly switching between them without you lifting a finger. And with AI entering the picture (teased in the next episode), the possibilities get even wilder.
Roots in Pittsburgh, Inspired by Tesla
With origins at the University of Pittsburgh and a direct line back to Nikola Tesla's dreams of wireless power, Powercast is proof that some of the biggest ideas take patience, persistence, and a couple of decades to mature.