Super-small, But Super-efficient Solar Powered Sensor System

As technology becomes superior and more efficient the tendency is for gadgets to become smaller and smaller. A 9 cubic millimeter solar-powered sensor system is the latest story originating from the University of Michigan and what’s amazing about this device is that it harvests energy from its surroundings to operate nearly perpetually!

The dimensions?

This processor, its solar cells and its battery are all contained in a tiny frame which measures 2.5 by 3.5 by 1 millimeters. That’s one thousand times smaller than comparable commercial counterparts.

What’s this processor called?

It’s an industry standard ARM Cortex-M3 processor. This processor enables this sensor system to possess the lowest-powered commercial-class microcontroller. It uses about 2,000 times less power in sleep mode than its most energy-efficient counterpart on the market today.

What’s special about this device?

• The system can run nearly perpetually if periodically exposed to reasonable lighting conditions, even indoors.
• The processor has low-power, energy efficient features such as deep sleep mode and Wake-Up Interrupt Controller, which enables the core to be placed in ultra-low leakage mode, returning to fully active mode almost instantaneously.
• The sensor’s total average power consumption is less than 1 nanowatt. That’s one billionth of a watt!
• The only limiting factor for the device is battery wear-out but even this battery can last for many years!

What’s the innovation that made this device possible?

The method used by it to manage power.

The processor only needs about half of a volt to operate, but its low-voltage, thin-film Cymbet battery produces close to 4 volts. Therefore the voltage must be reduced for the system to function most efficiently (in traditional methods the voltage conversion process consumes many times more power than the processor itself uses).

The system has numerous uses…

The system could enable less-invasive ways to monitor pressure changes in the eyes, brain, and in tumors in patients with glaucoma, head trauma, or cancer.

It could also be used as an environmental sensor system to detect movement or track air and water quality.

In the body, the sensor could probably harvest energy from movement or heat, rather than light, according to the designers.

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via: University of Michigan