Bluetooth is a great idea until the batteries get low. The problem is we forget them and blame our device instead. Now a cheeky start-up has asked the next obvious question: Why can’t we have Bluetooth without batteries? And amazingly it is in the process of making this possible.
Bluetooth without Batteries Is As Simple As Using Chips
Disruptive visionaries David Su, David Nakahira and Masoud Zargari met while working at Atheros Communication. They broke away in 2016 to found their own business, “And we’re not sick of each other yet,” Su told Electronic Design website.
The team has decided to market modified Bluetooth 5-type chips which quadruple the wireless range, and double the speed. They also increase the bandwidth to allow for broadcasting to two wireless devices at once. Their modifications allow the chips to run indefinitely using an energy harvester, when sending small amounts of data.
We Started From a Clean Slate, the Team Says
David Su, David Nakahira and Masoud Zargari went through every RF (radio frequency) block in their search for Bluetooth without batteries. “We were able to lower the power consumption by ten times through circuit level techniques” they explain.
Another innovation was introducing a sleep mode enabling a chip to wake up if it detects a signal. The power requirements are so minimal the chip powers itself with harvested RF frequency. Their targets are beacons, wearables, keyboards and other devices that communicate relatively infrequently.
The company has raised $21 million of venture capital funding from Sutter Hill Ventures, Clear Ventures and Walden International since founding. They are offering samples to interested parties, but hope to enter volume production in the next midyear. It seems Bluetooth without batteries could become reality soon. We can’t wait to try it out and we wish them all the success.
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Preview Image: Bluetooth Mobile Phone Headset
