Scavenging ambient power for wireless sensors
From SusHI | Sustainability in Hawaii:
Can buildings think? Can cars feel? Can machines hear? Can parcels look? Can ski talk? Can systems sense?
Yes to all the above, says EnOcean, a German startup with revolutionary wireless sensors that operate without batteries.
EnOcean’s ‘energy harvesters’, which are integrated into their radio products, scavenge ambient power from vibrations, light and hot-water pipes. That is, they can convert mechanical energy, light, or temperature differences into electrical energy.
Bruce Sterling says “if this works reliably, it’s a game-changer. It means you can just stroll out into the yard and hook-up a tree.”
Says EnOcean:
“Our groundbreaking technology creates energy seemingly from nothing, the slightest change in pressure, the smallest change in temperature is enough to generate power for our ultra efficient sensors to measure and then transmit their results.”
Early adopters use it to create sensor devices for building automation, industrial manufacturing and automotive technology.
The complete story here.
