10 things the perfect IoT battery should do
As everyone who carries a mobile phone has no doubt already learned the hard way, even the most sophisticated devices can be hobbled by a lack of power. And those power issues are especially problematic when it comes to the Internet of Things (IoT), where many IoT devices exist in hard-to-reach locations with little access to external power sources.
Whether implanted in a cardiac patient’s heart or a climate-monitoring installation in a remote rain forest, many IoT devices must rely on internal batteries for a long, long time.
That means IoT devices need two things:
- High-capacity batteries that hold sufficient power to run the device in a small space, and with a long shelf life so they don’t lose that power over time
- Power-efficiency improvements so they consume less of that precious battery juice
IoT batteries getting a lot of attention
To a large extent, the IoT’s ability to work in difficult-to-reach locations will depend on how well those two requirements are met in the coming years. Fortunately, this issue is finally getting the attention it deserves, with researchers around the world working hard to address both sides of the problem. In fact, according to IoT For All, software and hardware engineers, designers, CTOs and product managers are beginning to take an interdisciplinary approach: asking, “Why is it that batteries still suck despite our dependence on them?”