Mention the word Formica to any American of a certain generation, and it’s sure to conjure images of retro midcentury interiors, furniture, and especially kitchen countertops, outfitted with the slick, synthetic laminate surface. It’s the look of kitsch that defined the Mad Men era, into the 1970s. Now, Formica is ready to dust off its legacy image with a splashy new introduction for 2018: wireless charging technology.
Yesterday, the company announced a partnership with ConvenientPower Systems to develop a system of scalable, wireless charging infrastructure for residential and commercial applications—with the first releases targeted to launch this calendar year.
“Formica has become more of a surfacing company, and as you think about where surfaces are being used, this idea of becoming interactive is just a natural extension for a company like ours,” says Jeff Taylor, Group Vice President of R&D at Formica. “We come into contact with these surfaces constantly. So why not use them to do more than what they’ve ever done in the past?”