Researchers at the National University of Singapore have developed an innovative technology that could potentially eliminate the need for batteries in various electronic devices by converting Wi-Fi signals into useful electricity.
A breakthrough in energy harvesting technology
A research team has developed a new type of rectifier capable of converting ambient radio frequency (RF) signals into direct current (DC) voltage. This technology can use radio frequency signals from sources such as Wi-Fi and cellular networks, turning them into a useful power source.
Environmental and practical advantages
The ability to harvest radio frequency energy provides significant environmental and practical benefits. By reducing reliance on batteries, this technology can extend device life, minimize environmental impact, and improve the functionality of wireless sensor networks and Internet of Things (IoT) devices, especially in remote areas where frequent battery replacement is impractical.
Technical achievements
The researchers demonstrated the feasibility of using nanoscale rectifiers for this energy conversion, achieving this even at low RF power levels below -20 dBm. By optimizing the rectifiers and combining their array into an energy harvesting module, they successfully powered LEDs and a commercial temperature sensor with the harvested energy. An array of 10 optimized rectifiers achieved an impressive 7.8% efficiency and high sensitivity.
Future improvements
The research team is now focusing on integrating a built-in antenna to further improve the efficiency and compactness of their technology. They are also exploring series-parallel and on-chip connections to improve RF energy harvesting with the potential to generate sufficient voltage, eliminating the need for a DC amplifier.
Source: Interesting engineering ITC
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