‘Zero-power’ tech a taste of what’s to come

This futuristic innovation - one of many on show in Barcelona - is a sign of a potential future without batteries.

Oppo's zero power tag. Source: Supplied.

Phonemaker Oppo this week will demonstrate a future without batteries with a device that harnesses power from radio waves in the atmosphere.

Oppo first revealed the concept of its “Zero-Power tag” in January 2022. A tag can collect and transmit data such as environmental conditions and readings without being connected to a power source or battery.

The China company has told The Australian it will showcase the technology in a prototype at Mobile World Congress, the global communications conference that’s getting underway in Barcelona.

The concept behind sourcing power from energy waves is not rocket science; it underpins solar power. However manufacturers have not tapped into achieving this with radio waves.

Nevertheless, the idea has been under investigation for years. The radio waves might originate from TV and radio towers, Wi-Fi access points, base stations, heat sources or mechanical motion.

The technology is likely to have a massive future with billions of Internet of Things (IoT) devices due to be connected online, each needing an energy source.

Zero-power communication also overcomes the limitations of near-field communications (NFC) where devices communicate using induction technology and have to be within about 4cm of one another.

With tags, radio waves are repurposed using a process called “backscattering”. “Instead of actively emitting the signal, the Zero-Power tag receives a trigger signal from the reader and changes the size or phase of circuit impedance … Then it performs backscattering to communicate with the reader”, says Oppo in a technical paper.

An Ericsson booth at Mobile World Congress Shanghai last year. U.S. pressure on Huawei has ramped up the competition between Ericsson and Nokia to pick up any business that falls away from the Chinese company. PHOTO: QILAI SHEN/BLOOMBERG NEWS

Oppo’s Zero-Power tags will communicate with its smartphones and will support item identification, positioning and tracking, and sensor data collection, the company says.

It says the tags are small and can be easily attached to objects. They can be used in warehouses. Oppo regards them as key in the coming 6G era.

“The tags can transmit useful environmental information including temperature and humidity, provide instructions to monitor air pollution, and predict changes in the system status.” Security alarms and health monitoring are other applications.

Other organisations have been moving in a similar direction. This month the University of California San Diego published how RF energy harvesting might be used inside fridges to identify foods that are approaching their expiry date, for asset tracking and body sensors using the power of LTE signals.

Oppo, along with Motorola and Xiaomi, previously unveiled wireless air charging where a phone can be charged without a cable or being tethered to a stand.

Companies have also demonstrated using light sources in a room to power home devices without a need for power sockets and cables.

At MWC, Oppo is announcing the Australian availability of its Find N2 Flip flip phone. It’s being positioned as a rival to Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip phone series.

Flip phones are a nostalgic throwback to the handsets of the 1990s. However the modern versions use a foldable rather than a hinged screen, and have high quality cameras that can shoot both forward-facing vision and selfie content. The Find N2 Flip comes with a 50 megapixel Sony main lens with a 1/156-inch sensor, and a 32MP selfie snapper.

Social media influencers and video podcasters are likely key markets.

Chris Griffith is attending Mobile World Congress in Barcelona courtesy of Oppo.

Originally published as ‘Zero-power’ tech a taste of what’s to come