Paul Drayson, a former British science minister, has developed a device that captures “electrosmog” (invisible clouds of electromagnetic radiation), and uses it to power small devices. The energy-harvesting system is known as Freevolt. Freevolt uses an antenna to gain power from multiple wavebands of the electromagnetic spectrum. This is the first commercial device that is powered entirely from energy from radio frequencies.
“We can’t power a mobile phone, but we’ve found that the ambient energy density is sufficient to power sensors, beacons and some wearables,” Drayson said.
When the device launched it was placed inside CleanSpace, which is a personal air pollution sensor. This allowed researchers to monitor the air quality around them. “The sensor, called Tag, pairs with a mobile app to keep track both of carbon monoxide levels and transport choices made by an individual,” researchers added.
“Drayson now plans to license the technology to other commercial partners looking to create sensor networks, beacon-driven retail marketing tools or low-powered wearables. As it stands, the inventor contends that Freevolt could generate enough power for devices like the Fitbit Charge or Jawbone UP3. Drayson also points out that because Freevolt works across multiple bands of radio frequency, even if there isn’t any 3G or 4G signal, it can gather energy from Wi-Fi or even broadcast signals,” according to the Indian Panorama.
