Engineers harvest WiFi signals to power small electronics

Engineers harvest WiFi signals to power small electronics

3 years ago
Anonymous $LNMzUc6XNz

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/05/210518114153.htm

To harness this under-utilised source of energy, a research team from the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Japan's Tohoku University (TU) has developed a technology that uses tiny smart devices known as spin-torque oscillators (STOs) to harvest and convert wireless radio frequencies into energy to power small electronics. In their study, the researchers had successfully harvested energy using WiFi-band signals to power a light-emitting diode (LED) wirelessly, and without using any battery.

"We are surrounded by WiFi signals, but when we are not using them to access the Internet, they are inactive, and this is a huge waste. Our latest result is a step towards turning readily-available 2.4GHz radio waves into a green source of energy, hence reducing the need for batteries to power electronics that we use regularly. In this way, small electric gadgets and sensors can be powered wirelessly by using radio frequency waves as part of the Internet of Things. With the advent of smart homes and cities, our work could give rise to energy-efficient applications in communication, computing, and neuromorphic systems," said Professor Yang Hyunsoo from the NUS Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, who spearheaded the project.