Source: The post is based on the article “New powering system developed for IoT applications” published in Down To Earth on 13th May 2022.
What is the News?
A team of researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Mandi has developed a new powering system for the Internet of Things(IoT) applications.
How was this powering system developed?
This powering system was developed using both Radio Frequency Energy Harvesting(RF-EH) and Backscatter Communication Technologies.
Applications: The potential of the powering system is vast and includes applications such as battery-free wireless cameras, wireless monitors, sensors, skin-attachable sensing platforms, contact lenses, machine-to-machine communication and human-to-machine interactions among others.
What is Radio Frequency Energy Harvesting(RF-EH) and Backscatter Communication Technologies?
The Internet of Things(IoT) is a collection of objects that can exchange data with each other through the Internet. IoT devices range from ordinary household appliances in a “smart” home to sophisticated industrial and scientific tools.
These devices are equipped with sensors, chips and software that must be always powered and stay in communication with other devices.
However, power sources such as batteries may not be suitable for them because some may be embedded or hidden making changing batteries difficult.
Radiofrequency energy harvesting (RF-EH) and backscatter communication technologies are two options to overcome this problem.
In RF-EH, energy is transmitted to the IoT device through radio waves by a dedicated transmitter.
In backscatter communication also, power is transmitted via radio waves. But, with or without the need for a dedicated transmitter. Instead, radiofrequency signals available in the vicinity, such as WiFi, and cell phone signals, are harnessed through reflection and backscatter.
The RF-EH and backscatter devices have their strengths and drawbacks. For example, the backscatter devices are associated with considerable energy savings compared to the former. But they suffer from a reduced data rate and a shorter transmission range.
Source: The post is based on the article “New powering system developed for IoT applications” published in Down To Earth on 13th May 2022.
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