Powercast Releases Additional Wireless Power Development Kits

Press Release

Pittsburgh, PA – May 7, 2009 – Powercast, a leader in the commercialization of RF energy harvesting and wireless power solutions, announced it has released additional versions of its Lifetime Power Evaluation and Development Kit.  The new kits, available for purchase at www.www.powercastco.com, represent offerings focused more specifically for recharging Alkaline and Lithium Ion batteries.

Batteries are used in numerous small, portable, and mobile electronic devices.  Powercast’s technology enables these devices to use rechargeable batteries and be finally untethered™ from power cords or inconvenient, close proximity charging methods.  Disposable batteries and their adverse environmental impact can be eliminated from devices with Powercast’s RF energy harvesting and embedded wireless power solutions.

Powercast’s technology can provide constant charge, over distance, between one or more sources and multiple receivers. These devices can also be dormant, with zero stand-by power, and activated remotely with power being sent on-demand, on a scheduled basis, or continuously.

[ IDTechEx ] Includes Powercast in Article about RF Energy Harvesting

Researchers at Intel, Seattle, have demonstrated harvesting RF power from a TV transmission tower to power a commercially available thermometer/hygrometer with LCD display. From a balcony at the Intel Research Laboratory in Seattle the researchers harvested RF power from the KING-TV tower at a distance of 4.1km using a standard television aerial. With the antenna manually pointed toward the transmission tower, the ambient RF harvesting system was then attached to the battery terminals of a commercially available indoor/outdoor temperature and humidity meter with an LCD display which is normally powered by a 1.5V AAA battery. The researchers found that the device function was normal using power harvested from the tower and that the display was as good as when the system was powered by a battery. The voltage was found to drop when the antenna was directed away from the tower.
With a different approach of deliberately sending out an interrogatory signal, Intel researchers have demonstrated the WISP (Wireless Identification and Sensing Platform). WISPs are not really energy harvesting because they do not employ preexisting ambient energy. They have the capabilities of RFID tags, but also support sensing and computing. Like any passive RFID tag, WISP is powered and read by a standard off-the-shelf RFID reader, harvesting the power it uses from the reader’s emitted radio signals. WISPs have been used to sense quantities such as light, temperature, acceleration, strain, liquid level, and to investigate embedded security. Intel predicts the next phase of WISP work will involve the interaction of many WISPs resulting in a new battery-free form of wireless sensor networking. With RFID technology, the tag and the tag reader have to be in very close proximity but with the technique described above the weather station can get its power from a TV antenna pointed at a local TV station antenna that is 4km away.
Powercast has also developed so called Powerharvester Modules which are high efficiency RF energy harvesting devices that convert received RF energy into DC power. Powercast is a radio frequency that is transmitted over a small area, and its energy is harvested wirelessly to power to small devices like cell phones. A feature of the receiver is that, while the transmitter is highly focused in the power range it broadcasts (either in the 900MHz or 2.4GHz bands); the receiver can pick up and convert any RF energy regardless of frequency. Batteries or other energy storage devices can be recharged in close proximity or remotely, or low power devices can be driven directly from the received power.
RF harvesting from ambient sources has great potential to impact on the cellular phone industry and the portable electronic device industry as a whole.

Powercast joins Texas Instruments Developer Network

Press Release

Powercast joins Texas Instruments Developer Network
Creates wireless power module for demonstrating battery-free wireless sensors

Pittsburgh, PA – April 30, 2009 – Powercast, a leader in the commercialization of RF energy harvesting and wireless power solutions, announced it has joined the Texas Instruments Developer Network to support wireless powering of devices driven by TI’s MSP430. The MSP430 is a market leading, low power microcontroller embedded in numerous portable and low-power wireless devices.

Powercast’s RF energy harvesting technology and embedded wireless power solutions enable controllable wireless power, over distance, between one or more sources and multiple receivers. Devices with Powercast components can be designed for battery-free or battery-minimized operation, thereby eliminating disposable batteries and their adverse environmental impact. These devices can be dormant, with zero stand-by power, and activated remotely with power being sent on-demand, on a scheduled basis, or continuously.

“We are pleased to have Powercast join TI’s Developer Network,” said Eric Siegel, MCU developer network manager at Texas Instruments. “Combining wireless power technology with the ultra-low power consumption of the MSP430, Powercast’s innovative solutions eliminate the need to replace batteries by providing constant, unattended charge for applications in the low-power RF market.”

Powercast has also developed an integrated module for demonstrating battery-free wireless sensors. The Powercast module contains an integrated power receiving antenna, a PowerharvesterTM module, energy storage, and space for a low-power wireless module like Texas Instruments eZ430-RF2500T.

“The wireless sensor market is rapidly expanding and today’s wireless sensors are predominantly powered by disposable batteries. Battery replacement creates a significant operational challenge that will greatly impact the willingness of end-users to scale sensor networks or deploy wireless sensors in hard to service locations.” said Harry Ostaffe, Director of Marketing for Powercast. “Powercast’s wireless power solutions enable battery-free designs for wireless sensor devices, and allow for lifetime operation without changing batteries.”

About the Texas Instruments Developer Network
Powercast is a member of the TI Developer Network, a community of respected, well-established companies offering products and services based on TI analog and digital technology. The Network provides a broad range of end-equipment solutions, embedded software, engineering services and development tools that help customers accelerate innovation to make the world smarter, healthier, safer, greener and more fun.

About Powercast (www.www.powercastco.com)
Powercast Corporation, a privately held company, is a leading innovator of wireless power technology. Founded in 2003, Powercast’s proprietary core technology and related intellectual property pioneered the model for completely untethered electronic devices through the use of common radio waves similar to those used for wireless communications. Emerging uses include devices such as wireless sensors, advanced displays, novelty lighting, and other low power electronic devices. Powercast directly contributes to a greener world by eliminating or reducing the need for batteries, and by extending the placements of sensor networks with the environmentally positive effect of allowing more efficient use of energy for HVAC, lighting and other systems using scarce resources.

View formal release here

The Gadget Show Profiles Powercast True Wireless Power

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Powercast to Present at the Sensor Expo and Conference in June

Press Release

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U.S. News & World Report Includes Powercast in Wireless Power Article

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Fast Company Magazine Showcases Powercast Technology in February Issue

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Powercast Technology Featured on NBC Today Show and MSNBC.com

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