- The partners aim to realize wireless powering of Wiliot IoT Pixel sensor tags from a distance of 5m-10m for asset management
- By attaching IoT Pixels to individual products, retailers can monitor the condition of products in real-time without any manual checks
A leading wireless power networks developer, Energous Corporation and auto-ID and labelling solutions provider, SATO Holdings Corporation recently entered a deal to develop joint solutions that combine Energous’ 1W WattUp PowerBridge transmitters with IoT solutions for next-generation smart store applications.
Notably, the partners aim to realize wireless powering of Wiliot IoT Pixel sensor tags from a distance of 5m-10m for asset management and inventory management solutions in stores and warehouses that SATO is building.
Pleased to announce this partnership with Energous, Kazuya Hirata, head of the T4S Business Lab at SATO Holdings Corporation remarked: “The combination of SATO’s retail tagging hardware and software expertise, Energous’ WattUp wireless charging technology and Wiliot’s battery-free IoT Pixel tags can help usher in the next-generation retail store and smarter shopping experiences by taking a totally different approach to visualizing inventory.”
It must be noted that IoT Pixels are small Bluetooth Low Energy tags with sensors for humidity, proximity, temperature, etc. Multiple tags receive data from an Energous transmitter and initiate data communication. The company said that the transmitter also acts as a bridge and intelligently filters data from the tags and relays it to the cloud.
By attaching IoT Pixels to individual products and special fixtures placed on product shelves, retailers can monitor the quantity and condition of products in real-time without any manual checks, it further added.
CEO of Energous, Cesar Johnston pointed out, “Retail adoption of internet-connected devices such as Bluetooth tags and asset trackers continues to rise, bringing challenges around how to power them reliably and consistently, especially in large-scale deployments that feature thousands of devices.”
The official release said that the retail applications using Energous transmitters and IoT Pixel tags will be demonstrated at the National Retail Federation’s flagship event, NRF 2023, in New York City later this month.
Johnston noted that the current partnership combined their RF-based wireless power transmitter technology with SATO’s tagging solutions to deliver power over the air at-a-distance to Wiliot IoT Pixel tags in retail settings, solving this challenge. “We look forward to showcasing this technology at NRF in January and invite you to see it yourself,” he added.
US-based Energous Corporation is a 2012-born company working in the domain of wireless power networks. Its ‘WattUp’ solution is touted as the only technology that supports both contact and distance charging through a fully compatible ecosystem. Energous also identifies itself as the developer of silicon-based wireless power transfer (WPT) technologies and customizable reference designs.
With a presence in 26 countries, the 82-year-old Japanese company SATO identifies itself as a global auto-ID solutions provider for leading companies in manufacturing, logistics, retail, food & beverage and health care. SATO claims to tag every ‘thing’, making them knowable in real time for a connected world of productivity, safety, reassurance and sustainability.
