Nordic Team Joins Powercast for Energy Harvesting Smart Home Sensors

Powercast has recently joined forces with Nordic Semiconductor to introduce a groundbreaking technology that enables untethered RF energy harvesting sensors compatible with the Matter smart home protocol. These sensors seamlessly integrate into popular smart home ecosystems such as Google Home, Amazon Alexa, and Samsung SmartThings, utilizing the RF energy harvested from Powercast to operate without the need for batteries.

The innovative Powercast Wireless Smart Home Automation Sensor design incorporates the Powerharvester PCC110 wireless RF receiver chip and a compact antenna into the sensor, costing around $1 at volume production. This design allows for the use of a rechargeable battery or even eliminates the need for a battery altogether, providing a cost-effective and sustainable solution for smart home automation.

The Powerharvester PCC110 receiver chip, housed in a SC-70 package, boasts a wide operating range in terms of RF power (-17 to +20dBm) and frequency (10MHz to 6GHz), achieving impressive RF to DC conversion efficiency of up to 75 percent. This cutting-edge technology opens up new possibilities for powering smart home devices wirelessly and efficiently.

At an upcoming demonstration at the Sensors Converge show in Santa Clara, California, Powercast will showcase a window sensor powered by the Nordic nRF52840 Thread-compliant microcontroller. Internal testing has demonstrated that this sensor can be charged from up to 8 meters away from the transmitter, ensuring that the battery will never need replacement.

Vince Hagen, Global Business Development Manager at Nordic Semiconductor, expressed enthusiasm about the collaboration with Powercast, stating, “Nordic Semiconductor is pleased to collaborate with Powercast on its Matter and Thread-compatible Wireless Smart Home Automation Sensor Technology and Best of Sensors finalist demonstration platform.” The advanced capabilities of the Nordic nRF52840 System-on-Chip provide robust support for multiple wireless protocols, making it an ideal choice for powering next-generation smart home devices.