IoT 'Gateway' Without Power Supply... Costs Also Drop Significantly

Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology Develops Battery-Free IoT Gateway
Converts IoT Signals to Wi-Fi Signals for Transmission

This illustration shows the process in which signals transmitted by a commercial Internet of Things (IoT) device are connected to a Wi-Fi network through a battery-free gateway (prototype). The signals transmitted by the commercial IoT device are modulated into Wi-Fi signals in the air using backscatter technology. Then, a Wi-Fi laptop receives these signals and accurately restores the signals sent by the IoT device.

[Asia Economy Reporter Junho Hwang] Domestic researchers have developed a battery-free Internet of Things (IoT) gateway. The release of IoT devices capable of two-way communication without using power is anticipated.

Professors Seongmin Kim and Yung Lee from the Department of Electrical Engineering at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), along with Professor Jihoon Ryu from the Department of Computer Science at SUNY Korea, announced on the 13th that they have jointly developed a battery-free IoT gateway using backscatter technology.

The research team developed a technology that reflects wireless signals following the Zigbee (low-power wireless network technology) or BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) communication standards?commonly used by IoT devices?in an optimal pattern and modulates them into Wi-Fi signals. Using this technology, they created a battery-free IoT gateway that provides internet connectivity by connecting IoT devices to commonly found Wi-Fi devices around users.

Backscatter refers to a technology where devices do not generate wireless signals directly but transmit information by reflecting radiated signals present in the air. Since it does not consume power to generate wireless signals, ultra-low power communication is possible.

The battery-free IoT gateway developed by the research team can operate without power due to backscatter technology, significantly reducing installation and maintenance costs. Additionally, because backscatter physically modulates the reflected wireless signals radiated in the air, it can be universally applied to all IoT devices using the same communication standards.

Professor Kim Sung-min, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology

The research team modulated Zigbee and BLE signals into Wi-Fi signals through the battery-free IoT gateway and received them on commercial laptops. Furthermore, they experimentally demonstrated that commercial smart home devices (such as smart bulbs and smart speakers) from various manufacturers are interconnected with Wi-Fi devices through the IoT gateway.

Jinhwan Jung, the first author of the study, explained, "We confirmed that commercial IoT devices can connect to the internet via Wi-Fi at very low cost through ultra-low power communication technology called backscatter." He added, "This research demonstrated that the limitations of existing IoT gateways, which are expensive and consume large amounts of power, can be overcome with battery-free IoT gateways."