IoT Sensors, Wearables Among Targets for AirFuel RF Standard

As demand increases for IoT sensors and wearables, so does the need for efficient power, AirFuel Alliance President Sanjay Gupta emailed us Friday. IoT sensors and wearables such as smart glasses and hearables are typically powered by batteries that need to be replaced or charged frequently, a “significant pain point” the alliance hopes to address with an RF-based wireless power standard (see 2007230071), Gupta said. RF-based wireless power delivers power “in a 3D volume, can charge multiple devices safely and simultaneously, and can be readily integrated into small devices with no flat surfaces,” he said. Among the 30 alliance members listed are Samsung, STMicroelectronics, Huawei, Energous, TDK, WiTricity, EPA’s Energy Star and University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.