What inspired the development of Waven’s wireless energy transfer and harvesting solutions, and how do they address the pressing challenges in the IoT and microelectronics sectors?
The inspiration behind the development of Waven technology came from a clear market pain point: the limitations and maintenance burden of battery powered devices in large scale IoT deployments. As the number of connected microdevices grows exponentially, from smart home sensors to medical wearables and industrial trackers, the energy bottleneck becomes a critical constraint.
Traditional battery solutions impose operational costs related to the frequent replacements and battery waste environmental impact. Waven’s power management IC (PMIC) and wireless energy harvesting platform were developed to solve this problem by enabling energy autonomous devices, especially in environments where solar or RF energy is ambient but underutilized.
Our solution is designed to operate in low light and low RF conditions where competitive energy harvesters struggle.Waven is designed to work across indoor sensors, logistics tags and even medical systems and reduce the total cost of ownership for large sensor networks.
The broader goal is to shift from a "power limited" to "power autonomous" design paradigm in IoT enabling new classes of long life and zero maintenance devices.
Battery waste is a growing environmental issue. Can you walk us through how Waven’s technology helps reduce the 15 billion batteries discarded annually?
Battery waste is indeed one of the major and often overlooked environmental issues of the connected electronics. With an estimated 15 billion batteries discarded each year, the environmental burden is substantial and not only due to the toxic materials and resource intensive production processes involved but also because many of these batteries are used in low power devices that could, in principle, be powered more sustainably.
Waven technology directly addresses this problem by enabling devices to either eliminate or drastically extend the lifespan of batteries through ambient energy harvesting. Our power management IC (PMIC) allows IoT devices to tap into underused energy sources like indoor light and radio frequency (RF) signals which are widely available in modern environments but rarely utilized for power. By doing so, we significantly reduce the frequency of battery replacements, especially in sensor networks, logistics tags, and consumer electronics where battery swaps are both costly and wasteful.
Devices using the Waven solutions can operate autonomously for several years longer than comparable battery powered systems and in some cases run continuously without any battery at all. By reducing the number of batteries needed per device over its lifecycle or eliminating them altogether in certain use cases, Waven contributes to reducing the battery waste entering the environment each year while also helping manufacturers meet sustainability targets and lower operational costs.
Many businesses struggle with the high costs and maintenance of battery-powered IoT devices. How does Waven’s solution change the game for these industries in terms of cost and operational efficiency?
Waven solution fundamentally shifts the cost and maintenance equation for businesses deploying battery powered IoT devices. In large scale sensor networks, whether in logistics, smart buildings, manufacturing, or healthcare, the operational cost of replacing and managing batteries often exceeds the cost of the hardware itself over time. This includes not only the price of the batteries but also labor, downtime, and logistics involved in servicing dispersed devices, especially in hard to reach or mission critical environments.
By integrating Waven energy harvesting and power management systems, these devices can capture ambient energy from light or radio waves and use it to supplement or replace battery power entirely. This significantly extends the battery life and eliminates the need for batteries in certain applications altogether. As a result, the total cost of ownership decreases because maintenance cycles are reduced, fewer batteries need to be procured and disposed of and device uptime improves.
From an operational standpoint this means fewer field interventions, lower maintenance costs and more scalable deployment models. Companies can invest in denser, smarter and more autonomous sensor networks without being constrained by battery replacement schedules. This shift translates directly into measurable cost savings and improved efficiency for industries that rely on distributed sensing and connected devices.
Could you explain the difference between your RF-based wireless energy system and your photovoltaic harvesting system, and how clients choose between them?
Waven offers two complementary approaches: RF based wireless energy and photovoltaic light based energy harvesting. The key difference lies in the type of energy source they utilize and the environments they are optimized for.
The RF based system captures energy from radio frequency signals, dedicated wireless power transmitters. It is particularly useful in environments where there is limited or no natural light such as inside packaging, in industrial warehouses or in enclosed smart infrastructure. This system enables wireless energy transfer even in low light or light blocked conditions and can be paired with an RF emitter to ensure energy supply in critical applications.
The photovoltaic harvesting system is designed to convert ambient light or artificial light into usable power. It performs exceptionally well in well lit indoor environments like offices, retail spaces or homes, where consistent lighting is available during regular operating hours. It tends to offer higher energy yields than RF in these conditions and is often chosen for its simplicity and the maturity of photovoltaic components.
Clients typically choose between the two based on the deployment environment and energy availability. In some cases, a hybrid approach is used combining both light and RF harvesting to ensure maximum uptime and flexibility across variable conditions. Waven power management system is designed to handle both sources intelligently, allowing seamless integration depending on the customer specific needs and application scenario.
What industries or use cases have seen the most success with Waven’s technology so far, and what’s next in terms of scaling or partnerships?
Waven technology has gained the most traction in industries where battery maintenance poses a logistical or economic challenge specifically in logistics and asset tracking, smart home and building automation.
Logistics and asset tracking companies benefit from significantly extended battery life or even battery free operation in mobile sensors, which reduces the need for frequent servicing and increases tracking reliability. In smart homes and buildings, Waven solution has been successfully integrated into low power motion detectors, environmental sensors and automation devices, helping manufacturers offer maintenance free products that are easier for end users to install and forget. We have also made early progress in medical device feasibility study, particularly in low power implantable or wearable devices where minimizing or eliminating batteries directly improves safety and patient comfort.
At the moment, we are focused on scaling these successes by moving from pilot programs to commercial deployments. We are deepening partnerships with existing collaborators, while also opening new strategic relationships in the industrial IoT and exploring the possibilities in medical sectors. Our next phase includes expanding co-development agreements with device makers, licensing our PMIC technology for integration into third party platforms and supporting mass manufacturing through established partners. The goal is to accelerate adoption across markets that demand both sustainability and operational efficiency with an emphasis on applications that are limited by battery constraints.
For businesses exploring more sustainable energy strategies, what does the typical journey look like when partnering with Waven?
For businesses exploring more sustainable energy strategies, partnering with Waven typically begins with a conversation about their specific device architecture, energy consumption profile and operational constraints. We start by assessing the application environment whether it is a static indoor sensor, a mobile tracking unit or a medical wearable and identifying available ambient energy sources such as light or dedicated RF.
Once the use case is defined, we run feasibility studies or simulations to evaluate expected energy gains and battery life extension. If the results are promising, we move into a prototyping phase, where our power management IC (PMIC) is integrated into the customer device, often alongside photovoltaic cells or RF harvesting modules. During this stage, we provide technical support for design optimization and energy profiling to ensure the solution is tailored to the real world use scenario.
Typically the pilot is conducted in the customer operational environment to validate system performance under real conditions. We monitor metrics such as gained energy, power stability, battery charging cycles and overall system reliability. Based on pilot outcomes we assist in scaling the solution, either through direct component supply or via licensing agreements for broader integration.
Sustainability remains a core focus. Businesses working with Waven not only reduce battery waste and maintenance costs but also gain a technological edge by deploying energy autonomous devices. Co-developments with customers are grounded in measurable performance improvements and aimed at long term impact both economically and environmentally.
