A robot being charged wirelessly by a WiBotic system. (WiBotic Photo)

WiBotic, Seattle-based makers of a wireless charging system that uses high-power transmitters and receivers to power up batteries on drones, robots and more, has received authorization for the equipment from the Federal Communications Commission.

The go-ahead from the FCC is a first for such a system, which provides up to 300 watts of wireless power to devices with larger batteries.

“FCC approval is not only an accomplishment for our team but also for our customers and the industry,” WiBotic CEO Ben Waters said in a news release Thursday. “Previously only low power cell phone and small electronics chargers or very high power electric vehicle chargers were approved for widespread use. WiBotic is now providing a solution that lets the entire automation industry take advantage of the wireless power revolution.”

A drone lands on a charging system. (WiBotic Photo)

WiBotic says it wireless charging has greater range and is more reliable than contact-based systems and that robots and drones no longer need millimeter-level navigational accuracy to successfully dock for charging.

The 5-year-old startup was spun out of the University of Washington by co-founders Waters and Joshua Smith. The company has raised $9 million to date, including $5.7 million in new funding in June.

Editor’s note: A previous version of this story misspelled the company name of WiBotic. GeekWire regrets the error.

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