Battery-less phones could be reality soon
Scientists have made a huge
breakthrough that allows them to convert radio signals into power. The
discovery could allow for phones and other devices that don’t use batteries —
as well as entirely new ways of using smart technologies.
Scientists in the US developed the
device, known as a “rectenna”, from a semiconductor just a few atoms thick.
Wi-fi signals captured by an
integrated antenna are transformed into a DC current suitable for electronic
circuits. The device could be used to provide battery-less power for
smartphones, laptops, medical devices and wearable technology, according to the
US-led team.
Because of its flexibility, it
could also be fabricated to cover large areas. This has major implications for
the future of “electronic intelligence”, say the scientists.
Professor Tomas Palacios, director
of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology said: “What if we could develop
electronic systems that we wrap around a bridge or cover an entire highway, or
the walls of our office and bring electronic intelligence to everything around
us?
“We have come up with a new way to
power electronics of the future — by harvesting wi-fi energy in a way that’s
easily integrated in large areas — to bring intelligence to every object around
us.”
In experiments, the rectenna
generated about 40 microwatts of power when exposed to typical wi-fi signals of
150 microwatts. That is more than enough to light up a simple mobile display or
activate silicon chips. The research is published in ‘Nature’.
Co-author Professor Jesus Grajal
said a key application could be in medical implants and “pills” that stream
health data after being swallowed. “You don’t want to use batteries to power
these systems. If they leak lithium, the patient could die.”
Andrew
Griffin
THE INDEPENDENT
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