Five Building Blocks of Self-Powered Wireless Sensor Nodes

Niranjan Pathare, Battery Management Solutions Marketing,
Will Cooper, MSP Microcontroller Product Marketing
Texas Instruments

Today, autonomous sensors are in use for a variety of applications. Typically found in smart buildings and factories, these sensing applications include humidity, temperature, and chemical gas monitoring. They are often placed in remote locations where line power is unavailable, so rely heavily on battery power to function. In order to provide dependable operation, batteries have to be changed often, adding to the total cost of ownership. Ownership cost includes expensive labor needed to change the batteries during routine maintenance. Read more about Five Building Blocks of Self-Powered Wireless Sensor Nodes

Wearable Medical Devices Embrace Lithium Polymer Cells

Jeffrey VanZwol, VP, Business Development
Chris Turner, VP, Technology
ICCNexergy, Inc.

During the past few years, there has been an increase in demand for wearable devices from an audience both young and old. Some medical devices provide preventative functions, such as monitoring disorders, enabling early intervention and avoidance of complications. Other devices are reactive and can detect if an elderly patient has fallen, needs emergency assistance, has wandered outside a specific perimeter, or needs a reminder to take prescribed medications at the appropriate time of the day. Still other wearables allow consumers of all ages to monitor their own health and fitness, whether to help them lose weight, reach exercise/fitness goals or sleep better. Read more about Wearable Medical Devices Embrace Lithium Polymer Cells

Tesla’s iPhone Moment: How the Powerwall will Change Global Energy Use

Isidor Buchmann, CEO and Founder
Cadex Electronics Inc.

The Tesla battery that Elon Musk announced gets much media attention, and rightly so. The Powerwall, as the Tesla battery is called, can store energy from renewable sources from solar panels and wind turbines to supplement energy needs and reduce the electrical bill. According to Musk, “Our goal is to fundamentally change the way the world uses energy.” This is a noble endeavor at a time when humanity draws more resources than our mother earth can give. Read more about Tesla’s iPhone Moment: How the Powerwall will Change Global Energy Use