Goal

We are creating a device that harvests ambient RF waves and converts the power received into a usable form. The problem behind harvesting and converting ambient RF waves is that the signal received will be much smaller than the signal broadcasted by the source. To obtain a usable amount of power from harvesting RF waves, the receiving antenna needs to be very close to the source or highly directive and pointed towards the source. Since the device will only have enough power to perform a few tasks until it loses power, the MCU will need to be specially designed to handle this type of situation.

Our solution is to create a device that efficiently harvests and converts ambient RF waves and uses them to operate a low-power MCU doing basic tasks. This will be achieved by charging a capacitor with the converted power and using that to provide a reliable source of power to the MCU.

Expected End Product and Deliverables

The end product will be a battery-less IoT device powered through Wi-Fi to collect basic measurements such as temperature, light or voltage. It shall also transmit its measurements over RF. This device would eliminate the use of batteries and recharging batteries. The project is to be completed by December 2019.

Intended Users and Uses

Ideally, to collect readings such as temperature/voltage and transmit from MSP readings into a more usable interface i.e excel sheet, to conduct further analysis on collected data. The device will initially be used by EE and CprE faculty for more in-depth research topics.