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Oct 13
0

Powercast’s Batteryless Robotic Autonomous Price-Changing System Honored in RFID Journal LIVE! Awards

By | News, Powercast In The News, Press Releases and Announcements | No Comments

Prototype system uses Badger Technologies® autonomous robots with RFID readers to wirelessly update
prices on Powercast’s batteryless ESLs throughout a store, creating an automatic retail price changing
system that eliminates battery replacement and reduces e-waste

Pittsburgh, PA – October 13, 2021 – Powercast, the established leader in radio frequency (RF) wireless
power, was named honored as a Finalist in the RFID Journal LIVE! Awards at the RFID Journal LIVE! Show,
held in Phoenix recently, for a prototype Robotic RFID Reader and Batteryless Immortal ESL Autonomous
Price Changing System. This all-in-one robotic price-changing system is intended to save retailers time,
money and batteries, and was developed in collaboration with Badger Technologies, a product division of
Jabil Inc. (NYSE: JBL) and leader in retail automation. The two companies aim to display the prototype
system for the first time at CES 2022.

The system is unique in several ways. Robots on the market today can search for out-of-stock items and
check prices, but do not update prices electronically in real time without requiring someone to physically
change prices on the shelf. Pairing Powercast’s batteryless electronic shelf labels (ESLs) with Badger
Technologies’ autonomous robots enables the back office to manage real-time electronic updates while
eliminating problems associated with the industry’s battery-powered ESLs, including labor-intensive
battery replacement and disposal.

How the technology works:

BEER_Shelf_News_ArticlePowercast’s ESLs do not need batteries because the company’s RF-to-direct current (DC) power
harvesting technology can harvest enough power to operate perpetually from industry-standard RFID
readers. In this system, RFID readers installed on the robots send RF power over the air as they roam by
the ESLs to Powercast’s embedded receiver chips. These chips convert the RF to usable DC power to
wirelessly update the ESL’s ePaper displays with new prices in seconds. The ePaper display continues to
display that price even when it’s not being directly powered by an RFID reader. Using Lidar to detect and
safely avoid people, the robots can travel a store 24/7 for a completely autonomous price checking and
changing system.
“There are no autonomous, batteryless systems like this on the market,” said Charles Goetz, CEO of
Powercast. “Retailers will have greater control over their pricing, will create a better experience for their
customers, and could save millions of batteries from going into landfills every year.”

Retailers experienced some of the biggest job losses during the pandemic and persistent labor shortages
continue to impact store operations. Leading retail automation solutions are ideally suited to augment
staff resources to improve shopping experiences and store profitability. “Our in-store, multipurpose
robots monitor product availability, deliver precise product location data as well as collect and share
other valuable data from the retail floor,” said William “BJ” Santiago, CEO of Badger Technologies. “The
ability to help retailers implement an energy-efficient, autonomous price-changing system takes customer
service and operational efficiency to the next level.”

jabil_badger_robot5To date, more than 500 Badger Technologies autonomous robots have been deployed throughout the
United States, Australia and New Zealand while multiple pilot deployments are currently underway.
Powercast’s technology touches millions of users across more than 15 industries, including automotive,
consumer electronics, IoT, entertainment, retail, RFID and sensors.

 

 

About Powercast
Powercast is the established leader in RF wireless power. Since its founding in 2003, Powercast has led the
industry in RF wireless power innovations and applications that meet FCC and other global standards.
Powercast’s wireless power technologies eliminate or reduce the need for wires and batteries, working at
distances up to 80 feet. With millions of units shipped, Powercast is led by a team with deep expertise in
design, engineering, and prototyping, and with extensive commercial success in both industrial and
consumer applications. With more than 100 customers and partner companies around the world,
Powercast leads the RF wireless power market with 63 early and fundamental patents worldwide and 34
patents pending.

Sep 14
0

Powercast Named 2021 Best of Sensors Award Finalist

By | Home, News, Powercast In The News, Press Releases and Announcements | No Comments

PITTSBURGH (PRWEB) SEPTEMBER 14, 2021

 

 

Powercast, the established leader in RF wireless power, today announced it has been named a 2021 “Best of Sensors” Award finalist. The company’s wirelessly-powered RFID Temperature Scanning System, which enables businesses to easily and safely monitor employees’ temperatures, was recognized for its innovation in the COVID-19 category. The Best of Sensors Awards highlight cutting-edge achievements that are moving the sensors industry forward. Category winners will be announced Thursday, September 23 at 9:30am during Sensors Converge, taking place September 21-23 in San Jose, CA, where Powercast will display its system in booth #941.

The Temperature Scanning System is comprised of a wirelessly-powered temperature-scanning fob for each employee, an RFID reader, and a TV monitor. Employees receive a fob small enough to fit onto their keychain that is personalized to them. The fob quickly charges when held near an RFID reader at the entrance to the business using Powercast’s patented power harvesting technology. In this touch-free system, employees scan their own forehead using the fob to read their temperature, and are permitted to enter or are denied entry based on the reading, which automatically appears on the monitor.

“We are honored to be a finalist in this award program, which recognizes our efforts to help bring back a sense of normalcy as COVID-19 continues to create challenges for businesses,” said Charles Greene, Ph.D., Chief Operating Officer and Chief Technical Officer of Powercast. “Our system showcases the many benefits and future opportunities of wireless power as it helps businesses reopen and get back to normal.”

Powercast’s technology touches millions of users across 15+ industries, including automotive, consumer electronics, IoT, entertainment, retail, RFID, and sensors. The company’s collaborative approach and expertise in all aspects of product design, from vision through prototyping and commercialization, has resulted in dozens of applications and millions of units shipped.

“For over three decades, Sensors Converge has been bringing together the most exciting technological advancements and cutting-edge applications from across the industry. This year’s finalists underscore just how far-reaching the impacts of these innovations have become, especially over the past 18 months. Powercast personifies the commitment to engineering excellence and overall ingenuity we look for and we are thrilled to recognize their efforts in an extremely competitive field,” noted Charlene Soucy, Senior Director, Sensors Converge. https://www.sensorsexpo.com

About Powercast
Powercast is the established leader in RF wireless power. Since its founding in 2003, Powercast has led the industry in RF wireless power innovations and applications that meet FCC and other global standards. Powercast’s wireless power technologies eliminate or reduce the need for wires and batteries, working at distances up to 80 feet. With millions of units shipped, Powercast is led by a team with deep expertise in design, engineering, and prototyping, and with extensive commercial success in both industrial and consumer applications. With more than 100 customers and partner companies around the world, Powercast leads the RF wireless power market with 63 early and fundamental patents worldwide and 34 patents pending. For more information, visit https://www.powercastco.com.

About Sensors Converge
For 36 years Sensors Expo & Conference has brought together the design engineering community to network, share ideas, and define the future roadmap for the sensors industry. In 2021, we’re excited to curate a live, in-person experience called Sensors Converge, where the industry can come together, safely, to collaborate and conduct business. Sensors Converge is part of the Fierce Technology Group, a division of Questex, which also produces the Best of Sensors Awards, Fierce Sensors, and daily content and newsletters on Fierce Electronics at http://www.fierceelectronics.com.

Sep 07
0

Powercast’s RF Wireless Power Technology Awarded for Global Sustainability Award!

By | Powercast In The News, Press Releases and Announcements | No Comments

2021_sustainability_Award

Over-the-air RF wireless power recharges batteries or replaces them altogether to save
millions of one-time-use batteries from entering landfills every year

PITTSBURGH, Pa. (PRWEB) September 07, 2021 — The Business Intelligence Group today awarded
Powercast with its Sustainability Initiative of the Year in the 2021 Sustainability Awards program. These
awards honor those people, teams and organizations who have made sustainability an integral part of their
business practice or overall mission.
Powercast aims to make one-time-use batteries obsolete by working with electronic manufacturers to recharge
batteries or replace them altogether with its over-the-air RF (radio frequency) wireless power technology. Many
of today’s small electronic devices can be designed so they’re environmentally friendly, either with
rechargeable batteries that can accept an RF wireless charge, or with no batteries that can be directly powered
by RF power. A Powerharvester chip is embedded in devices to receive RF energy sent over the air from either
a dedicated Powercast transmitter, or from industry-standard RFID readers. The Powerharvester then converts
the RF to direct current (DC) to top off the battery or power the device.
Powercast’s technology touches millions of users across 15+ industries, including automotive, consumer
electronics, IoT, entertainment, retail, RFID, and sensors. The company’s collaborative approach and expertise
in all aspects of product design, from vision through prototyping and commercialization, has resulted in dozens
of applications and millions of units shipped.
“We’re already partnering with many manufacturers to create wirelessly rechargeable devices that keep
batteries out of landfills,” said Charles Goetz, CEO of Powercast. “But, we strive for the day where all devices
will charge in the background when consumers enter their home, office or car, where they’ll never have to
throw batteries away.”
Powercast demonstrates how its technology can save time and money, and reduce battery waste, in its new
retrofit video series, “Powered by Powercast.” In Episode One, Powercast created a wireless charging hand
sanitizer station, which normally uses 4 C batteries. The company projects it could save hundreds of thousands
of C batteries per year if adopted by a big box store. In Episode Three, Powercast created a wirelessly
rechargeable Fluke Digital MultiMeter, a common diagnostic instrument used by engineers.

About Powercast
Powercast is the established leader in RF wireless power. Since its founding in 2003, Powercast has led the
industry in RF wireless power innovations and applications that meet FCC and other global standards.
Powercast’s wireless power technologies eliminate or reduce the need for wires and batteries, working at
distances up to 80 feet. With millions of units shipped, Powercast is led by a team with deep expertise in
design, engineering, and prototyping, and with extensive commercial success in both industrial and consumer
applications. With more than 100 customers and partner companies around the world, Powercast leads the RF
wireless power market with 63 early and fundamental patents worldwide and 34 patents pending. For more
information, visit www.powercastco.com.

About Business Intelligence Group
If you have any questions regarding information in these press releases please contact the company listed in the press release. Our complete disclaimer
appears here – PRWeb ebooks – Another online visibility tool from PRWeb
The Business Intelligence Group was founded with the mission of recognizing true talent and superior
performance in the business world. Unlike other industry award programs, business executives—those with
experience and knowledge—judge the programs. The organization’s proprietary and unique scoring system
selectively measures performance across multiple business domains and then rewards those companies whose
achievements stand above those of their peers.

Jun 03
1

Powercast CEO, Charlie Goetz, Explains why Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) will utilize RF charging technology.

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RF Wireless Power Unleashes the Ubiquity of Sensor Networks

We are in the age of an AI (artificial intelligence) explosion. Everything — from your refrigerator to your dog’s bowl — will become part of the AI neuron network. Worldwide revenues for the AI market, including software, hardware, and services, are forecast to grow 16.4 percent year over year in 2021 to $327.5 billion, and by 2024 the market is expected to break the $500 billion mark.

While these numbers are impressive, AI will only reach its full potential when it can be fed with a constant stream of data from a plentitude of diverse sources. In order to gather data at a rate that enables high value AI output, you need a ubiquitous sensor network in place. Sensors are the neurons that fire the AI synapses. These synergies are imperative to the frequency and quality of the output.

Read More Here:

https://t.co/LclQReY0pD?amp=1

Apr 20
2

Charlie Greene talks wireless charging with Tom Perkins of High Frequency Electronics

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Our COO & CTO Charlie Greene discusses how Powercast has solved some of the  remote wireless charging challenges in the latest issue of High Frequency Electronics.

“When the company was formed a small team set out to develop true wireless power solutions that could both eliminate batteries and enable completely untethered devices that require no wires or charging surfaces.  It was obvious to everyone at an initial meeting that long-range wireless power, or power over distance that could remotely charge enabled devices, would be revolutionary for many industries and products. The team spent several years refining its wireless charging technology – which transmits a radio frequency (RF) whose energy can be “harvested” to power devices embedded with a small receiver. They entered the market in early 2007. The target devices are mainly those having low power consumption, not cell phones or smart phones.”

Check out the entire Tom Perkins article here:  https://bit.ly/2QbMMEG

Apr 15
1

Wireless power helps AI make better decisions – EE Times Europe

By | News, Powercast In The News | No Comments

CEO Charlie Goetz discusses Powercast technology and how wireless power has been proven to be reliable and can help feed AI to make better decisions:

RF Energy Harvesting Enables Wireless Power in Medical Applications – 

The increasing demand for wireless devices such as mobile phones and computers shows the importance of wireless applications worldwide. These devices, however, require continuous power supply or long battery life. To limit the use of batteries for safety issues, an RF energy harvesting system to provide wireless power can benefit the entire application market, which is expected to grow by 22% between 2020 and 2025.

This growth can be attributed to many factors, but its primary driver is artificial intelligence (AI). While AI algorithms are strong now, they require more and more data in order to be more effective. And that’s where wireless power comes in. Wireless power has been proven to be reliable and efficient, and it can help feed AI in order to help it make better decisions. In an interview with EE Times Europe, Charlie Goetz, CEO of Powercast, said he believes that IoT, ADAS and smart cities are a number of AI-related areas that could benefit most from the implementation and adoption of wireless power.

Read Full article here: https://bit.ly/3uQAEYr