Small Temperature Sensor Chip Powers Itself Using Radio Waves

A team of researchers from the Eindhoven University of Technology has managed to create a very impressive and small temperature sensor chip that’s actually able to power itself without requiring a single wire. The chip gets its juice from radio waves that are a part of its own wireless network, and it does not include any sort of battery. These chips could very well become a part of the consumer electronics of the future, not to mention the Internet of Things. Offices, smart homes, and numerous gadgets could benefit from such a sensor, but even though the device appears to be functioning properly, its development process was incredibly difficult.

Right now, the sensor can only detect temperature levels at a range of 2.5 centimeters, but its creators hope to extend this range to 1 meter in the next year and to 5 meters in the future. Peter Baltus, who is a professor of wireless technology, has stated that similar sensors designed to measure humidity and light could also be developed in the future based on the same technology.

“We don’t want hundreds of these sensors around our homes if we have to go around swapping the batteries all the time. The sensor contains an antenna that captures the energy from the router. The sensor stores that energy and, once there is enough, the sensor switches on, measures the temperature and sends a signal to the router. This signal has a slightly distinctive frequency, depending on the temperature measured. The router can deduce the temperature from this distinctive frequency.”

Featuring a price tag of just 20 cents per unit, this sensor is also incredibly cheap, and this makes it even more impressive.