Semtech Corp. announced last week that it was collaborating with Exeger, a Swedish deep-tech company that makes solar cells, on ways to extend the battery life of asset-tracking and environmental-sensing devices.
Semtech, a Camarillo-based semiconductor and Internet-of-Things (IoT) products manufacturer, said it would provide its long-range, low-power (LoRa) Edge asset management platform and combine it with Exeger’s Powerfoyle solar cell technology, which converts light to charge and power devices with clean, endless energy, according to a release from Semtech.Â
Oscar Hemberg, chief product integration officer at Exeger, said that marrying the benefits of Powerfoyle with the ultra-low power capabilities of Semtech’s LoRa devices will provide IoT applications with an extended or even unlimited battery life. “Together, we move one step closer to energy independence through more sustainable products powered with clean, endless energy,” Hemberg said in a statement.Â
The Powerfoyle material integrates into IoT sensors with Semtech’s LoRa Edge chip-to-Cloud platform with the goal of creating a new standard for environmentally friendly platforms for the IoT industry, the release said. Â
Combining both technologies is expected to spur new solar-powered tracking applications for geolocation-use cases, including indoor and outdoor asset tracking, global supply chain logistics, and agriculture, according to Semtech.
Powerfoyle enhances every product it is integrated into with extended or an unlimited battery life, putting the power of solar cell technology directly in the hands of people, the release added.
Marc PĂ©gulu, vice president for Semtech’s wireless and sensing products group, said LoRa devices enable smart IoT application that help solve some of the biggest problems facing the planet.Â
“Semtech and Exeger’s collaboration will enable manufacturers to develop IoT devices leveraging new energy harvesting technology for a smarter and more sustainable future,” PĂ©gulu said in a statement.Â