Why we are talking about self-powered sensors

We have well and truly entered an era where IoT designs are no longer tethered to batteries – the era of the self-powered products.

We are not being hyperbolic that self-powered sensing is the biggest thing to happen to the internet of things and maybe even the future of technology.

And that’s not all – self-powered sensors don’t just enable a more robust and pliable IoT, but they actually allow IoT to go where it’s never been before – or actually, could go before!

Self-powered sensors are able to generate the energy that they need to function by themselves – they do not need to be powered by an external source of power such as batteries.

Today, self-powered sensors are being used in all sorts of cool applications of smart home. As we move further on this journey, they are only going to be playing a bigger and bigger role in shaping the loT future.

We need to take a look at where IoT is headed to understand that.

As IoT started venturing out into uncharted terrain, it became more and more clear that the battery would be a cross it just couldn’t bear. With advancements in IoT, smart cities and smart manufacturing, sensors as a fundamental unit of signal processing started becoming a ubiquitous necessity.

This trend is only going to continue at a blistering pace as we head into the future.

Advantages of self-powered sensors

1. Lower cost

Batteries and arranging for used batteries to be disposed costs money. With self-powered sensors, all of these costs are practically eliminated in one fell swoop.

With battery-based IoT solutions, self-powered sensors make for a lower bill of installation and a significantly reduced maintenance cost over the period of ownership. If you are a house owner, what’s not to like?

2. Better for the environment

Batteries do come with a pretty ecological and humanitarian bill themselves. The more we find out about the atrocious difficulties posed to entire communities in order to mine lithium and cobalt, not to mention the ghastly impact it has on local water supply and biodiversity.

And it’s not just the mining for these minerals that makes batteries ecologically questionable – it’s also the disposal. Batteries need to be discarded very carefully.

In all fairness, this has got to be the biggest point in favour of self-powered sensors.

3. Leaner and more flexible

Batteryless sensors can literally be deployed anywhere. Let that be pasted on – ANYWHERE!

Sensors are being placed in all sorts of locations such as windows, doors, closets to structure scene linkage like lighting up while opening the closet.

They truly enable the internet of things to break its chains and complete towards the endless possibilities

All in all

At EBELONG, we have no doubts about the fact that the future of IoT rests on energy harvesting based sensors and switches. They are simply the only way we can bring our fantastic IoT visions into reality.

EBELONG is able to produce sensors and switches that can draw energy from movement sounds pretty inspiring. With the flexible construction and environmental needs growing at an unheard-of rate, self-powered solutions emerged out of a genuine need to innovate.