Energy harvesting is a key enabling technology for the future of the Internet of Things (IoT). WePower Technologies, debuting at CES 2023, is a privately funded startup founded by Lawrence (Larry) Richenstein, that was created to empower a more resilient, reliable, and sustainable IoT through the use of small-scale energy harvesting technology. Energy harvesting is still a developing market, but advancements in microelectronics and power conversion circuitry with nano and pico-power technology are facilitating the acceleration of energy harvesting generator (EHG) technology that can meet the needs of the IoT industry.
Harvesting Energy from Motion to Empower the IoT
“For the IoT to reach its potential, we need a better way to power the data gathering and transmitting devices that support it,” said Larry Richenstein, founder and CEO of WePower. “Batteries are expensive and wasteful at scale, but kinetic energy harvesting at the output levels our patented technology is able to achieve represents a viable alternative that will improve outcomes for users, service providers, and manufacturers of IoT systems.”
As IoT infrastructures expand to include trillions of connected sensors and transmitters, each of these wireless “smart” devices will require its own power source in order to collect, package, and deliver local data to networked systems. A key challenge facing the future of the IoT has been servicing remote sensors and transmitters that require wireless power. Batteries have historically been the default power option, but they have a limited lifespan, require effort- and resource-intensive replacement at scale, and end up in landfills by the millions each day. Batteries also introduce form factor constraints to the devices they power.
Created by a veteran entrepreneur and engineering executives from the wireless electronics and automotive industries, WePower has patented technology and products to tackle this challenge. WePower has pioneered groundbreaking technology to harvest kinetic energy using electromagnetic induction to power wireless sensors and related devices at a significantly higher level than any other kinetic EHG solutions on the market.
WePower has optimized their kinetic EHGs to increase energy output from typical prior levels of 100uJ to levels of up to 3mJ with further improvements being made constantly. This category-defining output level will enable reliable, large-scale deployment of wireless sensors and transmitters in industrial, automotive, smart home, smart office, smart city, and aerospace applications, and eliminate the need for billions of cell batteries that are produced and discarded each year.
To learn more about WePower Technologies and see demos of their first three EHG products, visit Booth #10728 in North Hall LVCC at CES 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada, or head to wepowertechnologies.com.
About WePower
WePower Technologies is an energy harvesting solutions company for the IoT. WePower has developed patented technology and patented energy harvesting generators (EHGs) to produce power from motion that will enable reliable and large-scale deployment of IoT sensors and devices for industrial, automotive, smart home, smart city, and aerospace applications. Learn more at wepowertechnologies.com.
All brand names, product names, and trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Certain trademarks, registered trademarks, and trade names may be used in this document to refer to either the entities claiming the marks and names or their products. WePower Technologies disclaims any proprietary interest in the marks and names of others. WePower Technologies is not responsible for errors in typography or photography. ©2022 WePower Technologies
