<div class="raw-html-embed"><div id="elevenlabs-audionative-widget" data-height="90" data-width="100%" data-frameborder="no" data-scrolling="no" data-publicuserid="6c21a9b7ad57703231dc05932a21048d408feec7404ccb881f833127d05d8391" data-playerurl="https://elevenlabs.io/player/index.html" data-small="True" data-textcolor="rgba(0, 0, 0, 1.0)" data-backgroundcolor="rgba(245, 245, 245, 1.0)" data-projectid="mKr3NQGZ48sPHvstSH36">Loading the <a href="https://elevenlabs.io/text-to-speech" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Elevenlabs Text to Speech</a> AudioNative Player...</div><script src="https://elevenlabs.io/player/audioNativeHelper.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div>Another day, another tired old, “go green” marketing campaign - now they’re all over the place. All sorts of companies have started chiming in - not just the ones that are traditionally seen as eco-friendly. There’s a seemingly interminable catalogue of sustainability driven campaigns today - all sorts of products being positioned as the “green” alternative; Every commodity out there claiming to save the planet.&nbsp;It’s not coming out of nowhere. There’s a massive demand for more sustainable products and services from today’s consumer, who seems to be more <a href="https://livingplanet.panda.org/en-IN/">clued up</a> than ever about environmental issues and wants to make a difference with their purchases.&nbsp;There is a clear directive from the world’s consumer base that companies that prioritise holistic well-being over myopic self-interest will be rewarded richly. Now more than ever, <a href="https://www.onio.com/article/rise-of-eco-conscious-consumer.html">consumers</a> are choosing to go green, making a huge statement with how they spend their money.&nbsp; This message has been received loud and clear by the businesses of the world and they’re tripping over one another trying to get on the sustainability bandwagon.&nbsp;The market has a good idea about a company or brand’s hierarchy of values - we might not exactly know the inner machinations of what makes a company tick - but we sure can call out a bandwagon jumper just fine - the ones who are built around a core value that calls for more environmental consciousness are easy to identify.&nbsp;But on the other hand, environmental concerns are pressing and urgent - there is an ever growing realisation that we need urgent action to reverse some of the <a href="https://consciousplanet.org/en/save-soil/soil">catastrophic</a> trends of ecological degradation that we see around us today. We’re literally burning the planet down - destroying the very source of our lives. So maybe this is a good time to start caring about sustainability - or even performatively caring about sustainability?This is a good time for all earth dwellers to take a moment to ask ourselves what sustainability means to us. It’s time we reconcile our desire for a healthier planet with the drives that are leading us to burn the planet down.&nbsp;<blockquote>However selfish man may be supposed, there are evidently some principles in his nature, which interest him in the fortune of others, and render their happiness necessary to him, though he derives nothing from it except the pleasure of seeing it. - Adam Smith</blockquote>There is this idea that all economic activity is driven by the profit motive - at least in a liberal economic model.This is broadly true - when free from external agencies that seek to force their hands, human beings largely tend to work towards their own well-being and prosperity rather than against.&nbsp;But, the idea that all transactions, in a market, happen among rational and self-seeking players with a myopic vision of profit is not true. People are complex organisms and have divergent drives, motivations and incentive structures.&nbsp;Human beings belong to multiple structures that exist at multiple levels of organisation - i.e. first and foremost, we are individuals. As individuals, we belong to family units, the welfare of which we sometimes put over our own. Similarly, when we zoom out, we belong to various other collective units, which command varying levels of loyalty, responsibility and belonging.&nbsp;This is not just some abstraction - in our day to day lives, we make several decisions that balance our commitment to wellbeing and value across various levels of this hierarchy of belonging.&nbsp;We are often faced with situations where we prioritise well-being on the level of the collective over that of the individual. The converse is true as well, obviously. That’s where accountability comes in. We’re much less likely to make decisions that benefit us as individuals at the cost of our community’s well being when there is a certain level of accountability within said community.&nbsp;Today, we’re able to exchange value at multiple levels and maintain accountability on a really large scale. Thanks to technology and social media, we are able to see how value exchanges affect not just the producer and the direct consumer but literally everything else on the planet.&nbsp;This is where the idea of sustainability becomes relevant from a macroeconomic standpoint.&nbsp;So, how do we see sustainability? What’s sustainability, as defined and understood by us?&nbsp;Creating and offering a multi-layered stack of value. That’s how we see sustainability. Very simple. Not catering to one problem of an individual or an entity while contributing to other problems at other levels of collectivity that they occupy.&nbsp;What do we mean by this?We are quickly realising that a product or a service that offers value to one party but at the cost of our collective wellbeing is just not doing a great job of leveraging all the available resources we have.&nbsp;Today, more than ever before, we have an oceanic pool of knowledge, operational tools, know-how and talent to draw from. National borders don’t matter. College degrees don’t matter - there are way more sophisticated and bespoke methods available to vet for quality. Consumers have a ton of power and choice in terms of the products and services they choose to associate with.&nbsp;Similarly, businesses also have more choice than ever about the kind of solutions, talent, processes and structures they can employ.&nbsp;So, the businesses that we’ll see doing well in these times are those that execute on the promise of value-creation at every level of organisation - the individual, the micro-collective (i.e company, demographic group etc), macro-collective(s) - i.e humans as whole, life as a whole etc and then, one level up from this - the habitat that all of these other levels share - which is planet earth.&nbsp;So, a sustainable business is one that takes upon itself the task of adding value - not just to one level of the hierarchy - but to as many levels as possible.&nbsp;With <a href="https://www.onio.com/article/rise-of-eco-conscious-consumer.html">consumers</a> getting more and more informed and highly eco-conscious, companies and products that operate on a less inclusive model will simply not make it.&nbsp;<h2>Sustainability in the IoT Sector</h2>Let’s take the example of the IoT sector.&nbsp;If we continue pushing out products that find a way to reduce labour, cut costs, drive up operational efficiency etc. but do so by requiring thousands of battery changes every year - that’s a bad idea.&nbsp;Dumping hundreds of thousands of batteries into our oceans and <a href="https://www.onio.com/article/our-huge-soil-problem-how-iot-help.html">soil</a> (which are precious resources that affect the wellbeing of every single one of us directly), we are literally adding negative value to the world.&nbsp;No business can expect to live for long adding negative value - maybe it can go on for a while as the information gap closes - but this isn’t going to last very long.&nbsp;Like we said earlier, the idea is pretty straightforward - all of us hold a hierarchy of identities based on the hierarchy of social collectives that we belong to, at various levels. At one level, we’re individuals with guaranteed rights, powers of discretion and individual choice. But, this individuality is dependent to varying degrees on the family setup we belong to.Likewise, we belong to various other levels of collectivity - like cities, countries etc - at the highest level, all living organisms belong to the collective that is “life on earth”. This is not an exercise in abstraction - this is not some imposed framework that ought to be adopted to view the world through - this is a reality.&nbsp;Things that happen to the ecosystem at large, happen to us. Things that affect the air, soil, water and general livability of this planetary ecosystem, affect us too as an extension. That this needs to be said goes to show how much we’ve become atomised in today’s world.&nbsp;We are facing some pretty <a href="https://www.onio.com/article/solving-challenges-batteryless-iot.html">grave</a> threats as a planetary collective and <a href="https://consciousplanet.org/en/save-soil">urgent action</a> is what’s going to get us out of trouble - this means, businesses that offer value to the various levels of collectivity that we inhabit will be <a href="https://www.onio.com/article/rise-of-eco-conscious-consumer.html">chosen</a> over those that serve just one level.&nbsp;This is the way to see sustainability.&nbsp;Sustainability isn’t some credo that we use to parade how virtuous we are. It is merely an <a href="https://www.onio.com/article/solving-challenges-batteryless-iot.html">attempt</a> to integrate a more holistic understanding of adding value into our products and services.&nbsp;<h2>An Evolution of the Profit Motive</h2>The profit motive gets a bad rap - but it really works! To a large extent, the buzzing industrial world around us which allows us luxuries like frappuccinos and reading articles online, is a direct result of a liberal economic order.&nbsp;We’ve built a society that is built around the profit motive rather than being predicated on individuals overcoming their self-interest. This has brought us economic growth and prosperity. Sure there are millions who are still struggling to make ends meet - but the fact remains that this economic model has lifted hundreds of millions, if not billions, out of poverty.&nbsp;Now back to the idea we started with - how do we look at companies parading their attempts to be more ecologically sensible, as some sort of virtue pageantry?It really is irksome to see businesses using the "sustainability angle" as a sort of selling tactic to push more of their wares onto us.&nbsp;Why? Not just because it's inauthentic - although that's not great either. It's more because it reflects an inaccurate understanding of what sustainability means - an understanding built on outdated and obsolete models.This would be a good place to ask ourselves what sustainability means to us.. So, at its core, why sustainability? Why should we be sustainable?That "should-ness" around sustainability is what we have a problem with. That's where we think a reframe is in order.We as individuals make choices all the time that look like "I should / I ought to" choices when seen from a child's perspective. To a child, anything that isn’t play - or immediately fun, is just something he/she does only because their parents give them no other choice.&nbsp;But, as adults, most of us simply understand the complexities involved in reconciling our divergent drives - i.e short term gratification vs long term goals; expediency vs well being. We might experience the occasional bit of friction, sure. But, we all get how careful planning, delayed gratification and mutual civility pay off in the long run.As families, we're the same way - we make choices that ensure the highest amount of wellbeing (given practical constraints) for the most number of people in the family over the longest possible time. In doing so, we choose to align our everyday choices with long-term wellbeing over short-term expediency.At the levels of individual and family, this is just seen as being sensible - no "should-ness" there that leads to virtue signalling - not that being sensible isn't a virtue to be celebrated though - but there isn’t so much moralistic posturing around it, is what we mean.&nbsp;What we're saying is this - choosing to not destroy the foundational aspects of our life - i.e. water, soil, air is just the sensible thing to do. There doesn't need to be a dramatised narrative or moral grandstanding around it. It's simply what living beings do when confronted with choices that they are smart enough to comprehend - they make choices that correspond with their own sustained well-being.This is how we see sustainability. Simply acting in our own best interests. Doing what will enable us all to reap the most value in the long-term. Pure common sense.Creating batteryless IoT products so we can stem the catastrophic flow of billions of batteries into our oceans and landfills doesn't make us virtuous - these are simply the kind of things that need to be done if we plan on continuing to live here as a global collective (as a species).Finding new ways to source our materials so we don't cause ecological destruction, human suffering and contamination is again - just what we'd do if we were acting sensibly in our own self interest.To us as a company, this is what batteryless IoT stands for - Sense. It's just the more sensible way to do connected technology. It's the only way we can build on the huge promise of IoT technology without it contributing to our already growing list of environmental problems.Sustainability here isn't a cause - It's just finding deeper alignment with our own desire for wellbeing - a distillation, an evolution if you will, of the profit motive. The need to create value - the need to ensure better outcomes for ourselves.

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Sustainability is hot right now. It’s become a really hip thing to be associated with if you’re a company. Everyone and their grandmas is now talking about going green. There’s a good measure of fatigue and cynicism today about the sustainability narrative being co-opted by the corporate world - the consumer is jaded and tired with corporations trying to win their favour by selling sustainability-flavoured candy. 
So, what is it that they’re getting wrong? Where is this cynicism coming from? Are they not getting something? This is what we’re about to explore. Going further from there, in this post, we thought we’d ask ourselves how we understand sustainability and how we see it as a company. 

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Reframing Sustainability - An Evolution of The Profit Motive

Senior Content Manager

Abishek Swaminathen

The IoT world is evolving at a breakneck pace and it is literally taking the world by storm. Today, the Internet of Things is making its transformative presence felt in nearly every aspect of human life, radically changing the way we approach business, communication, personal care and everyday life. In this climate of rapid innovation, there is a huge pressure on the IoT industry to come up with more sustainable and eco-friendly power solutions.&nbsp;Traditionally, IoT devices have been battery-powered. Until very recently, there was simply no other viable alternative - batteries were simply the best we had. However, in recent years, energy harvesting technology has emerged as a contender that is simply hard to look past. Ambient energy harvesting has allowed us to conceive of an IoT that is 100% batteryless - i.e self-powered.&nbsp;For the uninitiated, here’s a brief introduction to how energy harvesting technology works - basically, we are surrounded by an invisible ocean of energy at all times. There are swirling cascades of energy in the form of electromagnetic waves, heat, vibrations etc that are simply going unused. Energy harvesting technology essentially refers to the process of harnessing some of this ambient energy and converting it into usable electrical energy that can power small devices.&nbsp;In many instances in the past, we have highlighted the urgent need for IoT devices to switch to batteryless technology, powered by energy harvesting. Some of the key points which we have always highlighted are the humanitarian and environmental perils associated with Li-ion batteries and the economic costs associated with deploying a large number of battery-powered IoT sensors and node devices.&nbsp;After all, we can only discard so many billions of batteries into our oceans before the consequences turn truly disastrous for us. In this context, we have always maintained that batteryless IoT is a truly revolutionary step in the right direction. In many of our previous posts, we’ve extolled the transformative potential of batteryless IoT and spoken about how it could potentially be a flag-bearer for a future where we find more elegant solutions to some of the most pressing existential challenges that confront us today.&nbsp;Is this narrative just a ploy to make energy harvesting technology look good or does it actually hold water? Don’t recent advancements in recycling technologies mean that the transformative potential of batteryless IoT that we so often speak about is just hogwash?We thought we might play devil’s advocate and address this question with this post.&nbsp;After all, there is no better way to illustrate a technology’s merit than being its fiercest critic and seeing if it holds up to rigorous scrutiny.&nbsp;<h2>Advancements in Battery Recycling</h2>The biggest argument that can be laid out against the transformative power of batteryless IoT is that there have been a spate of recent advancements in Lithium-ion battery recycling. This is in no small part due to the explosion in demand for these batteries, thanks to the rise of EVs and battery-powered consumer electronics.&nbsp;Mainly, these advancements are directed towards improving the efficiency, sustainability and cost-effectiveness of recycling batteries. Today, we are able to recover valuable minerals like lithium, cobalt and nickel much more effectively from dead batteries. In recent years, techniques such as direct recycling have risen in popularity. In layman terms, what this means is that we are able to increase the rate at which we recover these precious substances from recycled batteries.&nbsp;The environmental impact associated with battery recycling is also being chipped away at - modern recycling techniques come with a smaller carbon footprint and are claimed to release fewer toxic by-products into the environment. Moreover, with a rise in supportive legislation and government policies around the world, there are fewer obstacles to effective battery recycling than there were a few years ago. This also means that we are able to recycle batteries more cheaply.&nbsp;As we speak, there is ongoing research underway on improving existing recycling modalities. Make no mistake - we will have better recycling techniques in our hands in the coming years. It’s also difficult to argue against the notion that increasing awareness levels and better education will lead to higher recycling rates, which will in turn drive more innovation within the industry.&nbsp;But, does any of this take away from the transformative potential of batteryless technology?<h2>The Case for Batteryless IoT</h2>Advancements in recycling techniques are a welcome development, no doubt. But, we think it’s not enough, on its own, to discredit the sheer revolutionary potential of batteryless IoT technology.&nbsp;Firstly, there is the problem of uniformity. It is true that recent advancements in recycling technologies are making rapid strides in salvaging lithium and cobalt from batteries but most of these methods are aimed at processing uniform, large-scale batteries that are used in large industrial sectors such as automobiles, manufacturing and a small segment of consumer electronics. These recycling processes are not able to deliver the goods when it comes to the other end of the spectrum, i.e. smaller, AA-sized batteries and coin cells which face greater recycling challenges. These batteries are made from a more diverse mix of materials and are not compatible with a uniform recycling stream. There is also the dreadful challenge of collecting these smaller batteries for recycling - something we haven’t been able to come up with a tenable solution for. It requires large-scale public participation, incentive programs and stringent government regulation - even when all this is assumed, it is a tall order by any stretch of the imagination. After all, we humans have never really made a good case for ourselves when it comes to acting diligently and conscientiously without supervision. This makes collecting small batteries for recycling almost an impossibility, practically speaking.&nbsp;Then, there is the carbon footprint associated with recycling - recycling lithium-ion batteries is extremely energy-intensive. This is because extremely high temperatures are required to smelt the batteries in order to recover the materials. This energy often comes from non-renewable sources, contributing significantly to the total carbon footprint.&nbsp; Even accounting for the improvements made in this regard, there is still a lot of uncertainty on the cumulative ecological value of recycling old batteries, especially when held in comparison with batteryless technology. It’s very unclear whether the carbon footprint of recycling older batteries is actually lower than that of manufacturing new batteries - and that’s not an uncertainty that can be glazed over.&nbsp;Moreover, there are the knock-on effects that come with recycling batteries - battery recycling involves a lot of steps which are potentially hazardous to the environment. Many toxic chemicals are involved in these processes, which can pose huge threats to the environment if not handled properly. In many cases, these chemicals leak into their surroundings and cause water and soil contamination. This can have hugely adverse effects on the local ecology and perhaps more pertinently, on human health. Additionally, recycling processes themselves are quite resource intensive - for example, they require huge amounts of water among other resources, which can tilt the overall ecological equation significantly. Add to that the other factors that often go unmentioned - like the carbon footprint associated with transporting used batteries to recycling facilities etc and you’ll end up with a completely different picture.&nbsp;While it is true that we are able to salvage a higher proportion of rare earth minerals like lithium and cobalt with modern recycling practices, a large quantity still goes to waste. This is a huge point in the favour of batteryless technology - as such, we are in a situation where lithium and cobalt reserves are fast dwindling. We will not be able to sustain continued mining of these minerals for much longer. We need to understand that lithium and cobalt are very scarce resources and even with the best recycling practices we have today, supply is not going to be able to keep up with demand in the near future.&nbsp;Taking all this into consideration, the argument that better recycling techniques can render battery-powered IoT just as eco-friendly as batteryless IoT is simply not tenable.&nbsp;<h2>The Undeniable Benefits of Batteryless IoT</h2><div class="raw-html-embed"><ul class="ul--navi">
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 Energy reliability - Batteryless IoT, powered by energy harvesting technology, is designed to be failure-proof across a multitude of settings and environmental conditions. Today, we are able to harness energy from a variety of sources such as RF, light, heat etc. For example, our very own ONiO.zero can simultaneously harness energy from both radio frequency waves and light energy. This sort of flexibility makes batteryless IoT devices robust and versatile across a wide variety of use-cases, even in situations that are sub-optimal.
 
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 Scalability - Batteryless IoT does not suffer from the supply constraints that we highlighted earlier with batteries. The logistics and economics hold up well even when increasing demand is accounted for.
 
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 Maintenance - This is another huge advantage that batteryless has over traditional battery-powered IoT devices. Over the product’s lifetime, battery-powered devices cost a lot in terms of periodic maintenance and battery replacements. On the other hand, self-powered IoT devices are built to function perpetually. Obviously, they don’t need battery replacements and moreover, because they contain fewer moving parts, they are less subject to parts failure and unexpected downtimes.
 
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 Longer life - Batteryless IoT devices have longer lifespans when compared to their battery-powered counterparts. This one’s a no brainer - both ecologically and economically.
 
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 Consistent performance - Battery-powered devices drop off in terms of efficiency as they age - this is because their batteries get less efficient at holding charge with time. Batteryless devices on the other hand offer a consistent level of performance throughout their lifespans.
 No waste - Recycling is all well and good but a technology that simply dispenses with the need to be recycled is obviously going to save a hell of a lot in terms of resources and time. With batteryless IoT, the headache of having to recycle batteries is simply circumvented. However efficient recycling gets, it’s not going to beat this.
 
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 Flexible deployment - Battery-powered devices are always going to come with the constraint that they can’t be deployed in locations that are hard to access. After all, they are going to need battery replacements at some point. With self-powered IoT devices on the other hand, the sky is truly the limit - they can be deployed in inaccessible locations - think hill tops, windmills, inside complex machinery - you name it! They simply don’t come with the kind of fuss that battery-powered devices do. You just pick a location and forget about them!
 
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</div><h2>The Future of IoT is Batteryless</h2>Iterative improvements are not going to help us overcome the litany of existential threats we are faced with today, as a species. Our oceans are getting polluted at a truly terrifying rate - our soil is dying and we are losing thousands of species every year. What we need is a dramatic transformation in the way we do things and structure our practices.&nbsp;In this light, batteryless IoT is definitely a step in the right direction. Batteries were a necessary step in our evolution towards sustainable energy - no doubt - but, they are just that - a step. We need to move past batteries and embrace the next evolutionary step. What we’ve tried to highlight with this piece is just how many issues there are with batteries as a power source. Some of these issues can be worked at and improved upon but the fact still remains that batteries are incredibly wasteful, resource-intensive and expensive, both in terms of material and detriment to life.&nbsp;We’re not suggesting that the Internet of Things going batteryless is going to dramatically solve all our ecological problems - not at all. But it is a question of whether we are going to embrace radical, transformative solutions or persist with futile attempts to make iterative changes to the grossly unsustainable and insensible way we’ve structured a lot of our systems today.&nbsp;It is clear as daylight that we need more solutions and fast! We are not going to overcome these seemingly impossible challenges with the sort of thinking that got us here in the first place - we need solutions that dare to reimagine the wheel. Batteryless IoT is that kind of a solution.&nbsp; &nbsp;

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An argument can be made that battery-recycling techniques are getting better and this renders the switch to batteryless IoT less desirable - but, can this argument be substantiated with hard facts and figures? After all, the biggest selling point of batteryless IoT devices is that they are more sustainable. But does this argument hold true when modern advancements in battery recycling are taken into account? In this post, we decided to settle this question once and for all. 

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Better battery recycling is still no match for batteryless IoT

<div class="raw-html-embed"><div id="elevenlabs-audionative-widget" data-height="90" data-width="100%" data-frameborder="no" data-scrolling="no" data-publicuserid="6c21a9b7ad57703231dc05932a21048d408feec7404ccb881f833127d05d8391" data-playerurl="https://elevenlabs.io/player/index.html" data-small="True" data-textcolor="rgba(0, 0, 0, 1.0)" data-backgroundcolor="rgba(245, 245, 245, 1.0)" data-projectid="qLDWBqdgb8GOF3Y5Zm4P">Loading the <a href="https://elevenlabs.io/text-to-speech" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Elevenlabs Text to Speech</a> AudioNative Player...</div><script src="https://elevenlabs.io/player/audioNativeHelper.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div>Sensors are all around us, in today’s connected world. Acting as conduits that connect the physical and digital worlds, IoT sensors have come a long way since their inception. With the number of connected devices in the world only set to go up in the coming years, IoT sensors are only going to increase in relevance - In 2020, it was estimated that there were 15.1 billion connected IoT devices in active use worldwide. This number has been growing at a staggering rate - by the year 2030, it is expected that there will be well over <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/1183457/iot-connected-devices-worldwide/">29 billion</a> active IoT devices!Now, take a moment to wrap your mind around that number. That’s about 4 IoT devices for each person on planet earth! IoT devices are equipped with an entire range of sensors - to cater to various functionalities. What this means is that, as we speak, there are over a trillion IoT sensors buzzing away around us in the world right now! A Trillion!What are these sensors doing?They’re collecting data - plain and simple. Various kinds of IoT sensors, are specialised to collect different types of data from their surrounding environment. This data is absolutely <a href="https://www.onio.com/article/batteryless-sensors-reshaping-the-world.html">reshaping</a> the world around us and the way we <a href="https://www.onio.com/article/revolutionising-retail-batteryless-iot-impact.html">interact</a> with it - <a href="https://www.onio.com/article/are-smart-iot-farms-the-future-agriculture.html">farmers</a> are relying on pH sensors, moisture sensors, <a href="https://www.onio.com/article/precision-agriculture-using-less-to-grow-more.html">NPK sensors </a>etc to optimise their fertiliser and water input to achieve high yields and prevent pests and plant diseases; Smart factories are using sensors to monitor the health of their machinery and avoid unexpected losses, boosting their margins and overall productivity; Motion sensors, level detection sensors, light sensors, sound sensors etc are being used as parts of comprehensive sensor suites to transform our urban spaces into smart cities.&nbsp;It’s not just industry and public conveniences either - like we saw in the beginning of this article, smart appliances, as part of a broader smart home, employ various kinds of IoT sensors to automate various household tasks and customise them to user preferences - refrigerators that order groceries for you on amazon when your stocks run low; pressure sensors that warn you well before your taps start leaking; air quality sensors that work with your air conditioning unit to make sure the air in your room is just right - the level of convenience, seamlessness and comfort enabled by wireless sensors is simply absurd!<h2>Sensors Evolution - A Timeline Through The Decades</h2>The modern day wireless sensor is a result of decades of iterative development, driven by increasing demands of a tech world that was growing and evolving at breakneck speed. In the late 20th century, sensors were very rudimentary devices that could detect basic parameters such as light or temperature - they were usually deployed in industrial plants or in early versions of computers.&nbsp;As our information processing capabilities started growing, the scope of these sensors exploded in a massive way, leading to the advent of highly sophisticated sensors that could detect a wide range of environmental parameters like motion, humidity, pressure etc. This was primarily driven by the market’s exploding demand for intelligent and efficient sensing systems that could adapt to changing conditions in real-time, performing a role of optimisation in various kinds of industrial and consumer-facing settings.&nbsp;Let’s take a brief look at the history of the modern wireless sensor:Sensors may sound like they don’t belong in history - they seem a pretty recent invention. However, if we define a sensor as a device that scans its surroundings, sensing changes in a particular variable or parameter, then we’d have to go way back to the 17th century, to rudimentary thermometers, which were essentially primitive temperature sensors. The 1800s saw some advancements in devices that could detect changes in pressure and light levels - i.e early pressure sensors and light sensors.&nbsp;The concept of connecting everyday devices to one another and to the internet, in order to drive higher levels of functionality and intelligence can be traced back to the 1990s. Kevin Ashton coined the term “Internet of Things” all the way back in 1999. Since then, wireless sensors have made rapid strides - becoming smaller, less power-hungry and more sophisticated.&nbsp;With the turn of the 20th century, sensor innovation started taking off like never before, driven by a massive technological boom - The modern day IoT sensor owes its existence to some key 20th century developments.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/onio/image/upload/v1710416752/first_transistor_819d73fa1a.jpg" alt="first_transistor.jpeg"></figure>Transistors (1947) - It is a well known fact that wars accelerate the evolution of technology. In the period immediately after the second world war, the transistor absolutely revolutionised the world of electronics - making it possible for them to be shipped with compact and affordable components. Before transistors, electronics used vacuum tubes - which were heavy and bulky. Moreover, they were also extremely power hungry. Transistors were substantially smaller in size compared to vacuum tubes and did not require nearly as much power. Transistors allowed highly complex circuits to be integrated onto a single chip.&nbsp; This was a notable milestone in the history of the modern day sensor.<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/onio/image/upload/v1710417064/the_first_mcu_e6d9bdc5b9.jpg" alt="the first mcu.jpg"></figure>Microcontrollers (1970s) - Microcontrollers were developed in the 1970s and represented a massive leap forward in sensing technology. Microcontrollers are essentially tiny computers that are entirely based on a chip. Microcontrollers allowed the data from multiple sensors to be integrated within a single device. Moreover, microcontrollers that were built into sensors enabled on-board data processing, completely bypassing the need for a separate backend operation or at any rate, reducing its load. This reduced the total data-load that had to be transmitted, which in turn, reduced bandwidth requirements and enabled some applications to start featuring real-time decision making. Microcontrollers, perhaps most importantly, enabled sensor programmability - this meant that sensor functionality could be customised to match the requirements of specific use-cases. This was a huge boost to the versatility of functionality of sensors.RFID (1980s) - Radio-frequency identification or RFID technology, brought a whole new dimension of capabilities to wireless sensing. RFID, for the first time, allowed objects to be identified and tracked without them being directly in the line of sight.Wi-Fi (1997) - The advent of Wi-Fi in the 1990s meant that high-speed wireless internet became a real possibility for the first time. This meant that sensors could now transmit large amounts of data seamlessly.Wi-Fi enabled sensors to be integrated into networks much more easily, playing a significant role in the colossal development of IoT technology today.Bluetooth (1998) - This was another big landmark in the development of modern day sensors as well. Bluetooth technology allowed sensors the massive luxury of reliable short-distance wireless communication. This meant that sensors located in close proximity could “speak-to” one another without the hassle and expense of using Wi-fi.Then, there were a couple of key developments following the turn of the century that led to the powerful, diminutive and highly versatile IoT sensors that we know today.&nbsp;MEMS (Microelectromechanical Systems) - The development of MEMS in the early 2000s remains a very significant step in the evolution of modern day IoT sensors. MEMS allowed IoT sensors to be rendered in miniature form, making it possible for sensors to be deployed in the numerous applications that we see them in today. Use-cases like smartphones and fitness trackers are possible for sensors today simply because of MEMS. They made sensors versatile, compact and inexpensive.LPWAN Technologies - The advent of LoRaWAN and NB-IoT in the 2010s has been huge for the emergence of modern standards in sensor technology. They allow sensors to be deployed in far-flung, remote corners of the world where internet and power access are questionable, at best. LPWAN technologies enabled the expansion of IoT into the big, wide world - opening up an unimaginably diverse range of use-cases in the process.<h2>Demand Driven Innovation</h2>In the early years, IoT technology was based on connecting everyday objects to computer systems or large computer networks - this is how these early smart objects were controlled and monitored.&nbsp;This was revolutionary at the time, with sensors being used to blur the lines between the physical and digital worlds. However, there were some pretty hefty limitations as well - these sensors were taken straight out of industrial settings and were often quite bulky and expensive. They were also massively power hungry, demanding wired connections or frequent battery changes. This made it impossible for them to be deployed in remote use-cases. There was a growing need for more energy-efficient sensors.&nbsp;Moreover, sensors in the past were largely restricted to single data types - i.e a given sensor was limited to being able to gather only one type of data - like temperature, pressure etc. This meant that early IoT solutions were straitjacketed and could not really spread their wings in terms of ingenuity or scale - this limited the range of problems that they could be used to solve.&nbsp;Processing power was also an issue with early sensors - they lacked the sheer muscle that was needed to process the data they collected; this meant that early IoT devices had to rely on the cloud for processing and analysis, adding to latency and overhead in the process.&nbsp;The market was clamouring for a new breed of IoT sensors that could solve these issues. With IoT technology being adopted across various sectors at an increasingly rapid pace, there was a tremendous incentive for innovation in the sensor space. The market exerted a number of pressures that fueled the development of next-gen sensor technologies -&nbsp; these were:Cost Effectiveness - The scale at which IoT technology was growing was so massive that there was a huge demand for ultra-low-cost sensors that could be deployed in large numbers without much thought.Size - Sensors needed to drop some serious heft and become diminutive in order for them to be seamlessly integrated into various wearables, implants and smart devices.Low-Power - Battery replacements were a serious limiting factor in the early years of IoT. <a href="https://www.onio.com/article/energy-harvesting-trumps-batteries.html">The battery problem</a> severely curtailed the growth of IoT technology for a long time. In addition to the repeating costs, there was the <a href="https://www.onio.com/article/environmental-cost-of-batteries.html">huge</a> environmental impact of batteries to consider. There was a growing demand for energy efficient sensors.Smart and Autonomous - With use-cases becoming more diverse and expansive, there was a huge need for sensors that were capable of doing a fair share of the information processing and filtering themselves - relying as little as possible on mainstream computing devices. This would save a ton on data transfer and make systems more latency free and responsive, enabling real-time solutions.Multimodality - IoT solutions kept getting more complex and as a result, they demanded wireless sensors that were able to measure multiple parameters at the same time - offering a more rich and variegated picture of their environments.&nbsp;<h2>Newer, Faster and Better Sensors</h2>These pressures led to the development of modern day IoT sensors.&nbsp;Today’s wireless sensors are small and versatile - sometimes even as small as a <a href="https://samueli.ucla.edu/grain-of-sand-size-sensors-to-monitor-conditions-in-deep-unconventional-oil-reservoirs/">grain of sand</a>. This enables them to be deployed in a variety of use-cases across a wide range of form factors and environments.&nbsp;Secondly,modern day sensors tend to be quite miserly with their power consumption, often being able to operate for months or years on end with no battery replacements. Better yet, we have seen the advent of <a href="https://www.onio.com/article/what-is-energy-harvesting.html">energy harvesting</a> powered sensors that don’t need any external power source whatsoever (we’ll see more about them in the following section).&nbsp;Thirdly, wireless sensors are getting smarter and more multi-talented - allowing for multiple parameters to be monitored at the same time using a single device. They are also starting to feature some pretty serious on-board processing power, which enables local decision making.&nbsp;Fourthly, mass production and innovation have led to sensor prices falling precipitously in the last decade or so. This means that they are now way more affordable in large numbers, allowing for ambitious and powerful IoT solutions that can take massive problems head on.&nbsp;Perhaps most importantly, today’s IoT sensors are versatile and flexible - boasting of incredible levels of adaptability and interoperability. Open standards and flexible software interfaces mean that the powerful sensors of today are able to be seamlessly integrated into various kinds of IoT systems, across a stunning range of industries and applications. In fact, it might be <a href="https://www.onio.com/article/awesome-real-world-iot-applications.html">fair</a> to say that there isn’t a single major industry on the planet which hasn’t been transformed by IoT technology in the past few years.<h2>Batteryless Magic - Self-Powered Sensors</h2>Thanks to advances in energy harvesting technologies, today we are able to produce sensors that are 100% self-powered and battery-free.&nbsp;Sounds pretty crazy doesn’t it?It’s <a href="https://www.onio.com/article/ambient-energy-and-io-t-a-perfect-match-for-a-greener-tomorrow.html">true</a> though. <a href="https://www.onio.com/article/batteryless-sensors-reshaping-the-world.html">Batteryless</a> IoT is very much a reality today. These sensors are able to draw power from their surroundings - be it in the form of radio waves, vibrational energy, heat, light or a number of other sources.&nbsp;They are able to harness the energy required for their operation from the surroundings and completely eliminate the need for any external power source. This gives them a number of pretty compelling advantages over their battery powered predecessors.&nbsp;Firstly, there is the money saved on battery replacements and periodic maintenance. Self-powered sensors are way cheaper to run over their lifetimes than battery-powered sensors. That number gets huge especially when large scale deployments are considered.Secondly, there’s the environmental benefit of preventing hundreds of millions (if not billions) of batteries from ending up in landfills and oceans. This one’s a no brainer.&nbsp;Thirdly, self-powered sensors offer an incredible amount of flexibility in terms of where they can be deployed. The sky is truly the limit with batteryless sensors - they are totally untethered and can be taken wherever the imagination goes. They can be deployed in bio-implants, machinery, hilltops etc, with no second thought.&nbsp;Energy efficient sensors are one thing - but when sensors are self-powered and energy efficient, they can really bring an unbelievable amount of value to the table.&nbsp;<h2>Incredible Possibilities</h2>The future of IoT sensors is going to be filled with exciting new developments - firstly, they will continue to become smaller, smarter and more invisibly integrated into the fabric of our everyday lives. They will start to wedge themselves in practically every part of our surrounding environments and feed endless streams of pertinent data to the devices around us, making them more intuitive and snag-free.&nbsp;Moreover, the emergence of batteryless sensor technology is incredibly promising from a sustainability point of view, especially amidst this climate of rising ecological uncertainty and climate related distress.&nbsp;The story of wireless sensors is far from finished though. As we move into the future, we are going to see new materials, sensing mechanisms and data analysis modalities. There is a good chance we’ll get to see some pretty futuristic stuff like self-healing sensors and completely embedded sensors.&nbsp;The sensors of tomorrow, as they grow in sophistication and power, will transform entire industries and unlock a data-driven future where we could get to see incredible levels of efficiency, sustainability, productivity and human well-being.&nbsp;Now, that’s something to look forward to!

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It’s 7.00 AM on a sunday. You begin to stir in bed. You’re not ready to wake up just yet. You pull the blanket back up over your head and roll over. But your moving about in bed has set off a chain reaction - your blinds gradually come open, letting the warm sun into your room, just as slow, lilting tunes start playing through your sound system and your coffee maker starts pouring your favourite brew. All this happens automatically just as you start waking up.

This is not a scenario out of a sci-fi novel. This is the reality we live in today, thanks to IoT technology. IoT sensors enable the internet to penetrate into the nooks and crannies of our existence and allow for a level of optimisation and convenience that’s otherworldly and futuristic. In this post, we’ll take a deep dive into the dynamic world of IoT sensors and trace out the history and evolution of these indispensable little wonders of the modern era - wireless sensors. 

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Sensing The Future - The History and Evolution of IoT Sensors

<div class="raw-html-embed"><div id="elevenlabs-audionative-widget" data-height="90" data-width="100%" data-frameborder="no" data-scrolling="no" data-publicuserid="6c21a9b7ad57703231dc05932a21048d408feec7404ccb881f833127d05d8391" data-playerurl="https://elevenlabs.io/player/index.html" data-small="True" data-textcolor="rgba(0, 0, 0, 1.0)" data-backgroundcolor="rgba(245, 245, 245, 1.0)" data-projectid="NoTujVLrcpeP8mNuDbsp">Loading the <a href="https://elevenlabs.io/text-to-speech" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Elevenlabs Text to Speech</a> AudioNative Player...</div><script src="https://elevenlabs.io/player/audioNativeHelper.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div>We are living in the age of artificial intelligence. AI’s star is truly on the ascendancy. Artificial Intelligence is now so thoroughly permeated into our everyday lives that we don’t even notice it most of the time. From driverless cars zooming through our streets, to virtual assistants curating bespoke shopping experiences, artificial intelligence has really penetrated deep into the structures that underlie our everyday lives.&nbsp;The possibilities that AI opens up are immense - truth be told, nobody knows how far we can take this technology - it’s still very much in its adolescence. Computational intelligence was once something limited to the pages of science fiction but today, we are standing at the precipice of a whole new paradigm.AI’s transformative power has already started changing the way we interact with technology - ChatGPT is a great example of how AI is starting to feel indispensable to the everyday tech-user - much like Google, a couple of decades ago.&nbsp;So, what makes AI so powerful?At the core of AI’s power is its ability to analyse unimaginably huge datasets, recognise patterns, learn from them and subsequently make decisions with little to no intervention. This is the underlying principle that allows AI to disrupt such a diverse range of fields - be it healthcare, where AI-driven algorithms make high-quality diagnoses that put seasoned physicians to shame; or finance - where AI-based models identify market trends ahead of time and inform prudent investment strategies; or nature protection, where AI-powered systems monitor large ecosystems in real-time, enabling proactive responses to impending threats, both manmade and natural.&nbsp;Artificial Intelligence is able to go through tons more data, more quickly than any human or set of humans could ever hope to. This is what makes it so efficient and powerful.&nbsp;It would be fair to say that a big part of AI’s might is due to our data collection capabilities. AI is nothing without large amounts of data.&nbsp;<h2>Name of The Game Is Data Collection</h2>AI is only as good as the data that it has at its disposal - all AI systems are essentially pattern-recognition and matching systems that work with a high degree of sophistication. They learn to match patterns by being trained on massive amounts of data - which they use to identify correlations and create decision-making heuristics.&nbsp;The quality of the data has a direct impact on the efficacy of the AI system. This is important to understand because there is a common trap that people and companies fall into when they think of AI as some kind of a magic bullet - a mythical solution that can plug holes in any system or fix any problem. That’s hardly the case.&nbsp;AI is better understood as a fast and efficient way of organising and retrieving large amounts of information. Granted, that’s a bit of an oversimplification, at least with respect to some of the more advanced AI systems going around today. But, it’s not too far off the mark.&nbsp;The idea we’re getting at here is this - organisations often place too much focus on the AI model itself, and not enough on the data it works with. Collecting, cleaning, labelling and maintaining a high quality data set is hugely important - probably more so than how fancy the AI algorithm is. A hugely capable AI engine that runs on poor data is just no good. The converse - a reasonably simple AI system that works on a huge amount of high quality, well organised data can be a hugely powerful tool.&nbsp;AI systems that are based on biased or inaccurate data will inevitably inherit those biases and inaccuracies. This can lead to disastrous outcomes and skewed decision making - imagine that happening in a healthcare setting for instance - it could mean the difference between life and death.&nbsp;AI systems gather data in a number of ways - direct data collection methods like web scraping, sensors, surveys, user interactions etc; they could leverage pre-existing data sets or simulate artificial data sets. However, all of these data harvesting methods are digital-only except for sensors.&nbsp;Wireless sensors are the only way for AI systems to gather data from the physical world, as it were. Wireless sensors act as eyes and ears for AI systems, on the ground, feeding them data in real-time.Wireless sensors allow AI systems access to a practically endless feed of raw data - enabling them to make decisions that are highly accurate and relevant to the ground realities pervading a given situation. Today, thanks to the advent of <a href="https://www.onio.com/article/what-is-energy-harvesting.html">energy harvesting</a> technologies, we are seeing the emergence of self-powered, battery-free sensors that can be deployed pretty much anywhere, irrespective of location or accessibility. Add to this the vast internet coverage made possible by 5G and we have a recipe for some majorly disruptive transformation.&nbsp;This is especially the case in remote use-cases where self-powered IoT sensors make sure AI systems are supplied with a relentless stream of accurate, real-time data. In use-cases such as <a href="https://www.onio.com/article/precision-agriculture-using-less-to-grow-more.html">precision agriculture</a>, this is invaluable to the accuracy and precision of an AI system’s decisions.<h2>The Symbiosis Between IoT Sensors and AI</h2>The meteoric rise of AI over the last few years has coincided with IoT’s similar trajectory. Both these technologies stand as the cutting edge of information technology, dramatically transforming nearly every aspect of human life today.&nbsp;IoT, in essence, refers to a system of interconnected nodes that are able to communicate with one another independently - these nodes today have become so small and powerful that we are able to deploy hundreds if not thousands of them in locations as remote as <a href="https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10200785#:~:text=The%20technology%20is%20used%20to,speak%20IoT%20platform%20for%20analysis.">coal mines</a> and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1319157821000483">forests</a>.&nbsp;IoT systems, through their wireless sensors, are able to collect a continuous stream of data from their surrounding environments - this can be any kind of data - temperature, heat, moisture levels, light, sound - well you name it! This makes them a perfect companion for the analytical prowess that AI systems bring to the table.&nbsp;The data that IoT sensors collect is raw - when this raw data is fed into AI systems, it allows them to create predictions and insights or even intervene in meaningful ways. For instance, the heart rate data from a fitness tracker, temperature data from a farm or traffic flow data from a smart city, when funnelled into AI systems, could act as precious fodder that helps us glean a hugely diverse range of actionable insights. This allows AI to extend its reach into the physical world, making it a much more powerful and versatile tool in our technological arsenal.&nbsp;This is a symbiotic relationship at its best - without the analytical might of artificial intelligence, the huge amounts of data that wireless sensors gather is next to useless. Similarly, without rich troves of high quality data, the most sophisticated AI system has nothing to work with - they need each other and enable each other in the most fundamental of ways.&nbsp;Imagine self-powered sensors powered by energy harvesting embedded in buildings, bridges, factories, farms or traffic lights, silently gathering endless streams of data, without any manpower or battery replacements. This could pave the way for a truly smart ecosystem where data flows seamlessly across platforms, applications and modalities, making life easier in the process.&nbsp;Data from wireless sensors can be used by AI in multiple ways - real-time monitoring where wireless sensors keep a live relay of data running continuously, enabling the AI system to analyse the incoming streams in real-time, make decisions on the go and adapt while running. This could be best imagined as part of an AI-based patient monitoring system or traffic-flow monitoring system, where delays simply can’t be afforded.&nbsp;Then, we have a predictive analytics kind of use-case, where AI models trained on historical data can make data-driven predictions pertaining to impending events - for example, think of a system designed to predict and prevent equipment failures; or an AI-powered weather forecasting system.&nbsp;Thirdly, we have pattern recognition. This is where AI identifies covert patterns in highly complex sensor data, unearthing insights that would have otherwise been nearly impossible to spot. Think early disease detection, consumer behaviour analysis etc.&nbsp;Lastly, sensors can be implemented in automation and control systems that use the data input to actuate interventions autonomously, without any human interference e.g. driverless cars, smart home technologies, robotics etc.&nbsp;The possibilities are endless for innovation and disruption when AI and IoT sensors join hands.&nbsp;<h2>Use Cases for Batteryless Sensor-based AI</h2>Let’s take a look at some examples of how battery-free sensors could be used along with AI in real-life scenarios. This is by no means an exhaustive list - just a few relatable use-cases.&nbsp;<h3>1. Autonomous Vehicles</h3>Self-driving cars and other forms of autonomous, unmanned transport such as drones require a continuous stream of data - this is made possible by wireless sensors (LIDAR, cameras, radar etc). This continuous data stream is crucial for them to navigate environments safely in real-time, avoiding obstacles and potential threats.&nbsp;These vehicles often come with integrated sensors that are able to harness and process large amounts of data on the go, constantly keeping the vehicle’s AI system updated on its surroundings.&nbsp;<h3>2. Healthcare</h3>This is by far the most exciting use case for batteryless sensors and AI. Energy harvesting sensors enable continuous monitoring devices that can track various biological and biochemical parameters in a patient, remotely.&nbsp;For example, imagine a heart rate sensor that tracks a patient’s heart rate data continuously and relaying it to the back end where an AI system monitors the data and slices it to identify patterns. When the AI detects an aberration, it alerts medical personnel immediately, potentially saving the patient’s life.&nbsp;This is just one example of what could be done using IoT sensors and AI in the field of healthcare. The possibilities are endless. Personalised healthcare could get a big boost with this kind of a setup.&nbsp;Sensors and AI can also enable people to enjoy more sovereignty over their health and well being by making a huge array of data-driven metrics available to them. This could enable a more holistic approach to healthcare where the individual has enough information at their disposal to make better health choices over a period of time.&nbsp;<h3>3. Smart Agriculture</h3>This is an application that’s growing in popularity at a tremendous rate. Today, smart farms deploy hundreds of batteryless sensors that monitor various parameters such as temperature, soil pH, moisture, mineral level etc.&nbsp;These wireless sensors provide AI systems with data which they use to optimise irrigation, planting, pest control, fertiliser use etc. Access to rich data streams enables farmers to make sure their yields stay high in spite of threats like erratic weather patterns and pests.&nbsp;<h3>4. Industrial IoT (IIoT)</h3>Self-powered IoT sensors are being used along with AI in industrial settings to monitor the conditions of heavy equipment and machinery. They also help keep track of operational efficiency and impending maintenance needs - i.e predictive maintenance.&nbsp;<h3>5. Smart Buildings</h3>Batteryless sensors are deployed in smart buildings for a variety of purposes - they collect data on various parameters such as energy usage, occupancy and environmental conditions within a building.&nbsp;AI uses this data to economise energy expenditure and offer more comfort and convenience to the occupants of the building. This kind of a setup is what we’re going to see in a lot of homes in the coming years with smart home technologies becoming increasingly popular.&nbsp;<h2>Batteryless Sensors Right For AI’s Future</h2>Energy harvesting powered sensors are practically a necessity for the future of AI. As AI continues its trend of explosive growth and expansion, we are seeing a dramatic increase in demand for remote sensing capabilities that battery-powered sensors and other data-collection modalities simply aren’t able to meet.&nbsp;Batteryless sensors have a few aces up their sleeve in this regard. First off, there is the sustainability aspect - self-powered sensors harvest energy from their environment. So, they don’t need any batteries. This makes a huge difference, at scale, to the problems of mining for rare minerals and toxic battery waste. The absence of a battery also means that these energy harvesting powered sensors require less maintenance and cost less to run than their battery powered counterparts. They also last longer.&nbsp;Moreover, batteryless sensors totally eliminate some big hazards associated with batteries such as leaks and explosions - this is a very important point to consider when we take into account the fact that most of these sensors are going to be deployed in far flung areas, far from human supervision - or at least that’s the idea.&nbsp;The absence of a battery makes these self-powered sensors very compact and diminutive, making it easy for them to be embedded into various kinds of systems.&nbsp;Last but perhaps most importantly in the context of AI systems, battery-free sensors are able to offer continuous operation - this is a huge plus point in difficult environments. They are able to harvest as much energy as they need, store it in capacitors and keep up with the demands of the system without ever running out of juice.&nbsp;<h2>Garbage in, garbage out</h2>Garbage in, garbage out goes the adage - it sums up the relationship between AI and data perfectly. Without high-quality data sourced from a diverse range of sources - data that’s representative of various kinds of permutations and combinations - AI systems are effectively crippled.&nbsp;This is why self-powered sensors represent a huge leap forward for the future of AI. They enable reliable, long-term data collection that’s continuous, seamless, cost-effective, reliable and perhaps most importantly, environmentally sustainable.&nbsp;The integration of self-powered sensors and AI is not just a matter of iterative development - it’s much more radical than that - it’s a proper paradigm shift. Powered by batteryless sensors, AI can truly spread its wings and go places that were unimaginable even a few years ago. Thanks to reliable batteryless sensors, today, we are able to harness the might of AI in very remote use-cases where access to power can be a huge problem.&nbsp;The future of AI looks bright - it looks all set to deliver on its huge promise of reshaping the world, thanks to the silent, continuous humming of batteryless sensors in the background!

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We have well and truly entered the era of AI - whether it’s through self-driving cars, language processing chatbots or state-of-the-art diagnostic tools, AI is well and truly changing the texture and feel of the world around us. AI’s dramatic rise is only set to continue in the coming years - <a href="https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/issues/data-and-analytics/publications/artificial-intelligence-study.html">PwC predicts</a> that AI will contribute a staggering $15.7 trillion to the global economy by the year 2030! But AI needs data to function - the quality of an AI’s predictions and decision-making is only as good as its data set. In this article, we explore how self-powered sensors allow AI systems to dig their tendrils into the physical world, making them an indispensable part of our future’s AI solutions.

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No Data, No AI – The Game Changing Role of Self-Powered Sensors

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 The power of Zero is undeniable The people behind ONiO Kjetil Meisal Vemund Bakken Runar Finanger Ronan Barzic Related Pages Products Articles The Big Picture The Team [object Object] We envisioned an IoT future with zero batteries. So, we created ONiO.zero — An MCU that operates 100% on energy from its surroundings — zero coincells, zero batteries, zero supercaps, zero lithium and zero toxic waste! 

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ONiO is the company behind ONiO.zero - a batteryless and wireless microcontroller. ONiO’s team is home to some of the brightest engineering minds in the Semiconductor world and so much more.

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Powered byONiO.zero Batteryless Remote Control Related Pages Love a good read? Tuck right in. Technology Redefined Learn more Related Pages Products News Articles    Informative and backed by solid research - welcome to our growing archive of articles!

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ONiO is thrilled to announce we've been granted an award by the <a href="https://www.forskningsradet.no/en/">Research Council of Norway</a> for a pioneering endeavor: developing batteryless sensor systems tailored for Precision Agriculture. These innovative sensors are set to revolutionize monitoring by focusing on key soil characteristics crucial for farmers - specifically, soil moisture, temperature, and nutrient content. Our goal? A transformative leap forward in deploying expansive sensor networks that smartly bolster agricultural practices. The plan is to engineer hardware that’s both affordable and simple to install - imagine sleek, low-profile units that can be effortlessly placed and left to do their job, gathering and transmitting data over their lengthy lifespan without the need for any wires, batteries, or maintenance whatsoever.The project is expected to pave the way for way more sustainable agriculture operations&nbsp; - influencing water and nutrient management, slashing the reliance on various inputs (like water, fertilizers, chemicals, and energy) and, by extension, significantly diminishing the environmental impact, all while boosting crop yields.Leading this venture is ONiO, in collaboration with <a href="https://sensonomic.com/">Sensonomic</a> and <a href="https://web.trondelagfylke.no/mare-landbruksskole">Maere Agricultural School</a>. Our role at ONiO is to spearhead the development and execution of all hardware aspects for these novel systems, leveraging our proprietary self-powered electronics technology. Sensonomic, with their expertise in crafting algorithms and software solutions for farmers, will play a crucial role in converting raw data into practical advice for enhancing farm productivity. Meanwhile, Maere Agricultural School is set to offer its facilities as a testing ground, aiding the consortium in deploying these systems under authentic agricultural conditions, from greenhouse environments to open-field settings.This project is receiving a generous boost from the Research Council of Norway, with a grant allocation of 11.9 million NOK under the <a href="https://www.forskningsradet.no/en/call-for-proposals/2023/innovation-project/">Innovation Project for the Industrial Sector program</a>, supporting our vision of smarter, more sustainable agriculture.

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Green fields ahead: ONiO Awarded Research Council Grant for developing batteryless sensor systems for Precision Agriculture

OSLO, NORWAY and NORRKÖPING, SWEDEN, January 30th, 2023 - ONiO®, a leader in ultra-low-power, batteryless microcontrollers, is excited to announce a strategic partnership with Ligna Energy, known for their innovative and sustainable supercapacitors. This collaboration is a huge step towards a more green and eco-friendly Internet of Things (IoT) world.ONiO brings to the table the world's lowest-power microcontroller, setting a new benchmark in energy efficiency. When paired with Ligna Energy's green supercapacitors, which use forest-derived materials for minimal environmental impact, we get a delectable combination that promises both efficiency and sustainability by the bucket load!&nbsp;"Our partnership with Ligna Energy is more than just a technical collaboration; it's a shared vision for a sustainable IoT future, coming to life" states Kjetil Meisal, CEO of ONiO. "Their supercapacitors perfectly complement our microcontrollers, hugely boosting our ability to deliver environmentally conscious IoT solutions."Ligna Energy's S-Power 2S supercapacitors offer compatibility and efficiency that are a great fit with ONiO's innovative microcontrollers. This partnership aims to push the boundaries of what's possible in eco-friendly technology, reducing the carbon footprint and improving energy efficiency in IoT devices.Peter Ringstad, CEO of Ligna Energy, adds, "An important part of realizing the full potential of our supercapacitors is to optimize the energy efficiency of the system our component is integrated in. With ONiO’s revolutionizing microcontroller, we can support our customers with creating truly sustainable IoT devices.”&nbsp;The collaboration between ONiO and Ligna Energy represents a significant milestone in the quest for sustainable IoT solutions. It underscores both companies' dedication to innovation and a shared commitment to a more environmentally responsible technology landscape.<h2>About Ligna Energy</h2>Ligna Energy, based in Norrköping, Sweden, is an award-winning Swedish cleantech company known for its cutting-edge ultrathin supercapacitors.We believe in a future where technology and nature works close together. This philosophy is reflected in our unique material recipe that utilizes waste from forest industries, solving the challenges of battery waste while repurposing waste from other industries at the same time. Our products are produced with roll-to-roll methods, which results in a highly automated and stable volume production. &nbsp;&nbsp;<h2>About ONiO</h2>Headquartered in Oslo, Norway, ONiO® is an innovative fabless IoT company focused on developing advanced batteryless microcontrollers powered by ambient energy. Our mission is to revolutionize the IoT landscape by delivering clean-energy solutions that liberate devices from the constraints of traditional batteries. ONiO.zero, our line of versatile batteryless general-purpose microcontrollers, can efficiently harness power from a wide range of sources, including RF, thermal, light, and piezo.At ONiO, we envision a future where IoT devices are 100% battery-free, contributing to a more minimalist, user-friendly, cost-effective, and environmentally sustainable ecosystem. By providing manufacturers with groundbreaking power solutions, we strive to transform&nbsp;If you’d like to know more about us and what we do, please give us a visit at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.onio.com"> www.onio.com </a>or follow us on our socials to stay updated on our latest product developments and news!<h3> Press Contact ONiO</h3>Runar Finanger, CMO <a href="mailto:runar.finanger@onio.com">runar.finanger@onio.com</a><h3> Press Contact Ligna Energy</h3>John Söderström, Marketing Director <a href="mailto:john.soderstrom@lignaenergy.com">john.soderstrom@lignaenergy.com</a> &nbsp;

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Uniting Wireless Batteryless Microcontrollers with Eco-Friendly Supercapacitors for a Sustainable IoT Future.

OSLO, NORWAY and STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN, December 21, 2023 - ONiO®, a pioneer in the development of advanced batteryless microcontrollers, is thrilled to announce a strategic partnership with Exeger, the innovators behind Powerfoyle™ solar cell technology. Together, the alliance marks a decisive and significant step towards a sustainable future, transforming the IoT and consumer electronics landscape. ONiO chooses Powerfoyle as their preferred solar cell technology for product integration.&nbsp;The collaboration will focus on developing devices that can draw power from any light source, whether natural outdoor or ambient indoor. Through the integration of Powerfoyle, devices operate with complete autonomy, while remaining 100% batteryless in order to help eliminate the alarming impact that disposable battery waste has on the environment."Selecting Powerfoyle as the preferred solar cell technology for ONiO was based on three clear advantages. Powerfoyle has world leading efficiency when integrated into products. Combined with best-in-class integration possibilities makes it the clear choice for product integration. World-leading companies have chosen Exeger as an exclusive solar cell supplier, giving ONiO a unique commercial opportunity through this partnership," states Kjetil Meisal, CEO of ONiO. "This partnership is about pioneering technology and championing a green revolution where devices are powered endlessly by clean energy—completely bypassing the need for traditional batteries."In recent evaluations alongside Exeger, ONiO has demonstrated a groundbreaking advantage over today's state-of-the-art technologies. ONiO.zero microcontrollers power up in just a few seconds, significantly outpacing the tens of minutes required by current leading technologies. This rapid activation, particularly in low-light scenarios, perfectly complements Exeger's Powerfoyle technology, renowned for its seamless transition between indoor and outdoor lighting environments. This synergy signals a new frontier in the world of IoT devices, and ushers in the next generation of efficient, batteryless devices that are not just ready for immediate operation but also redefine the benchmarks for cold-start capabilities.&nbsp;“Joining forces with ONiO marks a significant step forward in our joint mission to develop more sustainable products for the IoT market”, adds Oscar Hemberg, Chief Product Integration Officer at Exeger. “Collaborating with industry pioneer ONiO, illustrates the widespread demand and possibilities for integrating Powerfoyle solar cell technology. In addition, this partnership recognizes a natural fit, with Exeger complementing ONiO as it continues to reduce waste in the development of advanced batteryless microcontrollers.” &nbsp;ONiO and Exeger's partnership combines ONiO's advanced microcontrollers with Exeger's Powerfoyle technology, driving forward the development of sustainable, low-maintenance electronics. This collaboration is geared towards ushering in a new era where sustainable energy is seamlessly integrated into our daily lives.&nbsp;<h2>About Exeger</h2>Exeger is a Swedish company with a unique solar cell technology that converts all forms of light into electrical energy. This material, Powerfoyle, is the world’s only fully customizable solar cell. Thanks to its unique design properties, it can be integrated seamlessly into any electronic device. &nbsp;Powerfoyle enhances every product it is integrated into with extended or even unlimited battery life, putting the power of cutting-edge solar cell technology directly in the hands of people. Exeger is leading the way to energy independence through more sustainable and user-friendly products – with the vision to touch the lives of a billion people by 2030. For more information visit <a href="https://www.exeger.com/">www.exeger.com</a> | <a href="https://www.powerfoyle.com/">www.powerfoyle.com</a><h2>About ONiO</h2>Headquartered in Oslo, Norway, ONiO is an innovative fabless IoT company focused on developing advanced batteryless microcontrollers powered by ambient energy. Our mission is to revolutionize the IoT landscape by delivering clean-energy solutions that liberate devices from the constraints of traditional batteries. ONiO.zero, our line of versatile batteryless general-purpose microcontrollers, can efficiently harness power from a wide range of sources, including RF, thermal, light, and piezo.At ONiO, we envision a future where IoT devices are 100% battery-free, contributing to a more minimalist, user-friendly, cost-effective, and environmentally sustainable ecosystem. By providing manufacturers with groundbreaking power solutions, we strive to transform the way IoT devices are designed, deployed, and maintained, one device at a time.For more information, please visit our website at <a href="https://www.onio.com">www.onio.com</a>, and follow us on social media to stay up-to-date with the latest product developments and company news.&nbsp;<h3>Press Contact ONiO</h3>Runar Finanger, CMO <a href="mailto:runar.finanger@onio.com">runar.finanger@onio.com</a><h3>Press Contact Exeger</h3>Karin Carlström <a href="mailto:karin.carlstrom@exeger.com">karin.carlstrom@exeger.com</a> +46 70 358 2911 &nbsp;&nbsp;

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ONiO and Exeger Partnership: Energizing IoT and Consumer Electronics with Sustainable Solar Technology

OSLO, NORWAY, December 19th, 2023 - &nbsp;ONiO®, a pioneer in the batteryless microcontroller space, &nbsp;and Epishine, the Swedish pioneer in printed organic solar cells, announced a strategic partnership today. A partnership aimed at bringing to life a shared vision of self-powered IoT devices - i.e. 100% batteryless IoT devices that can eliminate the toxic environmental effects of disposable batteries.&nbsp;ONiO's cutting-edge, ultra-low-power microcontrollers are now about to join forces with Epishine's leading indoor solar cells, seamlessly combined to eliminate the scourge of battery waste. This strategic confluence is poised to revolutionize the IoT industry by introducing a groundbreaking model of eco-friendly, autonomous electronics. The initiative is focused on creating innately sustainable devices that eliminate the need for battery replacement and charging—dramatically cutting down on electronic waste and reducing running costs.Kjetil Meisal, CEO of ONiO, said, "Our alliance with Epishine marks a seamless leap into a sustainable technological future and the start of a Nordic industry initiative to drive sustainable electronics into the future. With Epishine's organic solar cells and unique ability to harness energy from low light conditions, combined with our extremely energy-efficient microcontrollers, we're seamlessly integrating the upper class of solar and semiconductor technologies. This paves the way for the next generation of IoT devices—sustainable, maintenance-free, and truly autonomous."In our recent tests with Epishine, ONiO.zero's advanced microcontrollers have displayed exceptional cold start capabilities, powering up in mere seconds—a tall order for other technologies that need several minutes. This breakthrough not only enhances the user experience by dramatically slashing wait times but also positions ONiO at the forefront of instant-on IoT solutions, seamlessly complementing Epishine's organic photovoltaic innovations.Anders Kottenauer, CEO of Epishine, said, "Our partnership with ONiO represents a milestone in our journey towards sustainable low-power electronics. Leveraging ONiO's ultra-low-power microcontrollers alongside our indoor solar cells, we are an innovative example to the IoT industry. This alliance is not just about combining two cutting-edge technologies; it's about reducing reliance on traditional battery systems and leading the charge towards sustainable electronics. Together, we are crafting devices that are not only self-sustaining but are also a testament to the power of sustainable innovation"The partnership reflects a profound synergy of shared values and a commitment to technological innovation that addresses today's environmental challenges. Epishine's dedication to creating the world's most sustainable solar cells perfectly complements ONiO's vision for an IoT that is unfettered by batteries. This partnership reflects our shared vision and is a call to action for a robust Nordic initiative aimed at advancing sustainable IoT devices across the industry. We invite everyone to stay tuned for more updates and to prepare for a new, sustainable future in technology.&nbsp;For further insights into Epishine's solar technology and its role in sustainable development, please visit www.epishine.com<h2>About ONiO</h2>Headquartered in Oslo, Norway, ONiO is an innovative fabless IoT company focused on developing advanced batteryless microcontrollers powered by ambient energy. Our mission is to revolutionize the IoT landscape by delivering clean-energy solutions that liberate devices from the constraints of traditional batteries. ONiO.zero, our line of versatile batteryless general-purpose microcontrollers, can efficiently harness power from a wide range of sources, including RF, thermal, light, and piezo.At ONiO, we envision a future where IoT devices are 100% battery-free, contributing to a more minimalist, user-friendly, cost-effective, and environmentally sustainable ecosystem. By providing manufacturers with groundbreaking power solutions, we strive to transform the way IoT devices are designed, deployed, and maintained, one device at a time.For more information, please visit our website at www.onio.com, and follow us on social media to stay up-to-date with the latest product developments and company news. Together, we can build a more sustainable future through innovative IoT technology.<h2>About Epishine</h2>Epishine is a Swedish energy impact company, reimagining the capture of light with market-leading printed organic solar cells.&nbsp;Our technology captures indoor light to make electronics self-powered, making cables, disposable batteries, and unnecessary maintenance a thing of the past. &nbsp;<h3>Press Contact ONiO</h3>Runar Finanger Chief Marketing Officer runar.finanger@onio.com<h3>Press Contact Epishine&nbsp;</h3>Kristina Hagstedt &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Communication Manager &nbsp; &nbsp; kristina.hagstedt@epishine.com &nbsp; +46 (0)73 466 63 43 &nbsp; &nbsp;

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ONiO and Epishine Alliance Unveils a New Era of Truly Batteryless IoT Solutions

Remote Control Energy sources Right as rain, safe as houses A Zero-compromise user experience Ultra-low power requirement All the frills and thrills - IR diode support Future proof flexibility Pulse density modulation interface (PDM) Capacitive touch Button key scanner Accelerometer Reference Design Want to talk? Watch Video Introduction Visit the ONiO.zero page Energy Harvesting Reliability User Interfaces Contact us for more information Watch Video The remote as we know it is a dinosaur - ancient technology! Today, with energy harvesting, the pain of charging and replacing batteries is history! Our surroundings are rife with potentially usable energy that we can harness and store. Energy from WiFI AP, mobile phones and other dedicated terrestrial RF energy sources supplies enough power for the remote to operate. At the heart of our smart remote solution is ONiO.zero - a batteryless wonderchip that runs on ambient energy! The best part, fewer batteries are thrown away in landfills. What's more - super-tiny photovoltaic cells could be used in tandem to make sure you never run out - Given typical light conditions, you could power your remote for eternity - no replacements, no nothing! RF fields between 650MHz and 2.4GHz.Any source between 350mV and 4V that produce 5-10μA). E.g. PV/Solar, thermal and motion.  ONiO.zero implements a low power PDM interface for interfacing low power microphones. The supported sampling speeds are 300kHz to 12MHz with support for fractional bitrate. The capacitive touch engine does not require any internal oscillator to run and is fully self-clocked. This means that it’s extremely low power and can asynchronously wake the rest of the system up. True wake on touch! Supports 8 rows and 8 columns making for a total of 64 buttons. Runs on an ultra low-power oscillator. Any keypress wakes up the CPU. FIFO (First in First out) of last 8 key presses. A low power SPI and two-wire interface are implemented for efficient interfacing with an accelerometer. The data from the accelerometer can be classified by ONiO.zero into gestures. Drained batteries and interruptions are best left in the past! With just a little ingenuity, we can design batteryless solutions that, well, just make more sense! Energy has to be present when the remote is in use. By utilising both RF and PV cell harvesting the remote will constantly be charging - even when its stuck between your sofa cushions. We took a novel new approach to low-power. We designed for nano-watt operation - not milli- or microwatts from day one. This has resulted in a framework that allows applications using a battery today - remove them tomorrow. We have to acknowledge that most remote controls today still utilise infrared communication. That's why we added a dedicated hardware module for carrier generation and modulation of IR diodes. A modern remote control is meant to be user-friendly and flexible. ONiO.zero supports multiple user interfaces - so you’re never caught off guard - whatever your device or need, we’ve got you covered.

A real smart remote solution runs on ONiO.zero - a batteryless wonderchip that feeds on ambient energy! Best part, no more annoying broken battery lids!

ONiO - Smart Remote

ONiO.zero Get started with ONiO.zero Want to talk? Why we made ONiO.zero Benefits Energy Harvesting Key Features Want to talk? Environmental Benefits ONiO.zero A miniaturised green powerplant One Chip Many Benefits Small Chip. Smaller BOM. Zero battery. Zero maintenance. IoT Unshackled Ambient Energy More with batteryless MCU Radio Peripherals Memory Energy source Operation conditions Material Savings (Kilo Tons) The planet says Thank you! Scarce Supply Unsustainable ONiO.zero is a tiny wireless microcontroller that is designed to replace the battery in the devices around you. ONiO.zero is one small step into the promising world of self-powered sensing, heralding a greener future. Think of it this way - ONiO.zero is a micro-powerplant that sits unobtrusively in your device, powering it for life! Not only do you get better performance, more flexibility and substantial usability gains - It’s also way easier on your pocket. Instead of playing with pennies - we turned to the dollar. We integrated radio, mcu, memories and PMIC in a single package.  Slashes number of service requests. Essentially, zero maintenance required. Now that’s something your customer wants to hear. IoT liberated from the battery. There’s just no telling how far IoT can go when you break the chains of the battery. Grafted on a tiny piece of silicon, you have electrical circuitry to accumulate even the smallest amounts of energy. This nano sized power house enables you to execute programs, connect to external sensors, and communicate wirelessly. A goldmine waiting to be tapped. ONiO.zero is a milestone in utilising renewable energy to power microelectronics -  a future where RF, solar and thermoelectric energy is harnessed and put to work for us! Based on expected number of IoT devices in 2035 Batteries are bad for the planet - period. There’s no two ways about it.They destroy habitats, pollute our waters and decimate the health of entire communities!Energy harvesting and self-powered sensing have got to be the way forward for the Internet of Things. RISC-V 16/32-bit architecture (RV32EMC). High code density with compressed instructions. 3.3V 32MHz, 1.0V 6MHz, 0.8V 1MHz. 450-800mV Asynchronous operation from ROM/RAM. Crystal-less BTLE transmitter. Programmable output power (-40 to 0dBm). PA supports operation down to 850mV - 0dBm.  Industry Standard I2C, SPI and UART. Asynchronous AES module for encryption/hash generation. GPIO with asynchronous interrupt/wake up. Programmable current source. Biasing external sensors. 1KB of mask ROM (stdlib, math etc). 2KB RAM. 8/16/32KB ULP Flash. 100k Writes. Read supported down to 850mV. Internal RF Rectifier:
Multi frequency 800/900/1800/ 1900/2400MHz bands (ISM and GSM) supported.
Internal Power Factory:
Voltaic cells down to 400mV (DC) Solar, piezoelectric and thermal (1.8V to 3.6V) Operating voltage: 450mV - 3.3V. Operating frequency: Asynchronous to 32MHz. Operating temperature: -40 to 85°C (Industrial grade). ESD protection HBM > 2kV; latchup > 100mA. Demand for Cobalt will outstrip supply by the year 2030 - Cobalt is an essential component in the batteries that power our modern day consumer electronics. A move to energy harvesting will reduce our dependence on non-renewable minerals such as LIthium, Cobalt, Manganese etc. There’s a massive humanitarian cost to every single battery that we use and throw - Lithium and Cobalt mining leave thousands of children sick for life and devastates entire communities in South America and Africa. Progress simply can’t be this loopsided and cruel. 

ONiO.zero is a tiny wireless microcontroller that is designed to replace the battery in the devices around you. ONiO.zero is one small step into the promising world of self-powered sensing, heralding a greener future. 

ONiO.zero - batteryless MCU

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Reframing Sustainability - An Evolution of The Profit Motive

Better battery recycling is still no match for batteryless IoT

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Green fields ahead: ONiO Awarded Research Council Grant for developing batteryless sensor systems for Precision Agriculture

Uniting Wireless Batteryless Microcontrollers with Eco-Friendly Supercapacitors for a Sustainable IoT Future.

ONiO and Exeger Partnership: Energizing IoT and Consumer Electronics with Sustainable Solar Technology

ONiO and Epishine Alliance Unveils a New Era of Truly Batteryless IoT Solutions

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ONiO - Smart Remote

ONiO.zero - batteryless MCU

Products

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Watch: The Power of Zero

A greener future:

83 results for 'batteryless'

Popular Searches

Top Hits

Articles /

Reframing Sustainability - An Evolution of The Profit Motive

Better battery recycling is still no match for batteryless IoT

Sensing The Future - The History and Evolution of IoT Sensors

No Data, No AI – The Game Changing Role of Self-Powered Sensors

News /

Green fields ahead: ONiO Awarded Research Council Grant for developing batteryless sensor systems for Precision Agriculture

Uniting Wireless Batteryless Microcontrollers with Eco-Friendly Supercapacitors for a Sustainable IoT Future.

ONiO and Exeger Partnership: Energizing IoT and Consumer Electronics with Sustainable Solar Technology

ONiO and Epishine Alliance Unveils a New Era of Truly Batteryless IoT Solutions

General /

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ONiO - Smart Remote

ONiO.zero - batteryless MCU

Watch:
The Power of Zero