Wireless Device Harvests Environmental Energy for Battery-Free IoT

Silicon Labs, a wireless technology developer, has launched a new series of wireless system-on-chip (SoC) devices for battery-free, energy-harvesting applications.

The company said the series represents its most energy-efficient SoCs to date and will allow IoT device makers to build wireless devices that can harvest energy from external sources in their environments, such as lights or radio waves. 

The SoCs are designed to meet ongoing energy efficiency challenges in IoT, as connected devices proliferate across industries.

Traditional energy sources, such as mains power or batteries, pose scalability and maintenance issues and ambient IoT is emerging as an alternative means of powering connected devices.

Silicon Labs said its new product line optimizes energy consumption and prolongs the lifespan of IoT devices.

Silicon Labs also announced that it had developed two energy harvesting shields for its new SoCs in collaboration with E-Peas, a provider of circuits for energy harvesting.

"As the market for energy harvesting and low-power solutions grows, Silicon Labs remains dedicated to…advanc[ing] the development of battery-free IoT solutions," said Ross Sabolcik, Silicon Labs’ senior vice president. "Our efforts to prioritize energy efficiency and increase device longevity underscore our commitment to fostering a more sustainable IoT ecosystem."

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