Stephen Keetley, Head of Design at Pressac, was on hand on the latest episode of IoT Unplugged to talk about the state of the sensor market, how energy-harvesting sensors work, and the importance of standardisation.
Keetley called the sensor market “dynamic” due to the growth in smart buildings and rise of sustainability initiatives that require building operators to have greater insight into how their resources are being used, including electricity and heating. This is where sensors come in, to monitor this data and provide actionable insights.
Desire to better understand occupancy – such as how many patients are in a hospital room – energy consumption as prices sprial, and sustainability drives are three key areas where Pressac see growth in the market.
Energy harvesting sensors operate by capturing ambient energy – whether that’s from light or motion – and using it to generate power. These sensors are well suited to applications where operating wired devices and running cables through a building may prove inconvenient, or not possible.
Pressac’s energy-harvesting sensors utilise the EnOcean protocol, having been an early adopter, which was specifically designed for low-power devices from the outset.
Keetley, discussing the importance of using an optimised standard, said: “It really helps us from that interoperability point of view. But [it] also … builds the trust, because you almost have … partners rather than competitors.
“As more manufacturers enter that space, it really helps build trust in the protocol.”
There are limitations for the market, both technical and regulatory: from atechnical perspective, there is only so much power available for these sensors; and recent cybersecurity legislation which is pushing for more secure communications.
Key recommendations for deploying sensors include understanding the problem at hand you want to solve; whether energy harvesting is suitable for your use case; and what information you’re looking to gain from the sensors.
If you want to learn more about the the state of the sensor market and energy harvesting, you can listen to Keetley’s insights on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and at the link below.
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