Tiny Solar-Powered Sensor has Almost Infinite Power
A minuscule sensor developed at the University of Michigan can run perpetually on built-in solar cells. As the lowest-powered commercial microcontroller on the market, this sensor is a monster breakthrough with applications so wide in scope that it’s hard to fathom.
The device is smaller than Abraham Lincoln’s head on a penny and requires so little power that it needs only occasional exposure to light (indoors or out) to keep going and going. The tiny sensor could be used for environmental monitoring networks for bridges, buildings, homes and other applications (i.e. mapping air quality). I imagine it monitoring the infrastructure of the future, including smart homes that automatically adjust heating, cooling and electrical systems based on the owner’s lifestyle and current weather conditions.
The sensor measures just 2.3 by 3.5 by 1 millimeters and consists of only three components: solar cells, a battery and processor. It is 1,000 times smaller than its nearest commercial counterpart and uses about 2,000 times less power in sleep mode than its most energy efficient competitor. In fact, the only reason the tiny solar sensor won’t run forever is battery wear-out, although its low-voltage, thin-film Cymbet battery will run for many years as is.
Another potential use for the sensor is in biomedical implants. In these cases, the sensor would actually be implanted in the body to monitor medical conditions, such as tumors in glaucoma, head trauma and cancer patients. It could also monitor pressure changes in the eyes and brain, all in a much less invasive way than today’s commercialized technologies have to offer. It follows that commercialization is the next big goal for researchers and developers of the tiny solar-powered device, a step that those researchers and the project’s financiers — The National Science Foundation, DARPA and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), among others — are pursuing at this very moment.
Photo and Story Via: MSNBC
Posted on February 23rd in Solar Research by Dan.