The Problem
Battery lifetime is fundamentally limited due to limitations in their chemistry
Sensors are generally passive for long periods of time in which they 'sleep'. When they wake up, for a few milliseconds they require 10.000x more power. These extremely short power peaks deteriorate the battery life significantly reducing the battery life to only a fraction of it's capacity.
- Battery lifetime often between 6-18 months in practise
- Cost per battery change around €35 per sensor including labor
Energy Harvesting
POWER FROM RF(WiFi, GSM), LIGHT, MOVEMENT AND OTHER SOURCES
We are surrounded by communication signals, which all carry a small energy load that we can use. Besides this there is light, vibrations and heat which can be used to help power sensors. Much of what we need is already there, we simply are not using it effectively yet.
- 300nW-10uW gained continuously by energy harvesting
NOWI Power Module
Enabling sensors to live forever with advanced energy harvesting
The Nowi Power Module combines the world's most advanced energy harvesting design with the highest DC-DC conversion efficiency. As such, it is able to solve the power bottleneck of sensors in IoT and thereby eliminating the need for maintenance.
- Nowi Power Module eliminates the need for battery maintenance
- Eliminating maintenance decreases sensor cost-of-ownership 7X
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From parking sensors, to cargo temperature control and GPS asset tracking, the transportation sector is under-going a transformation due to the Internet of Things. Reducing sensor maintenance by using the Nowi Power Module saves money at the bottom-line. -
Gas and water meters to onroad car counting and monitoring. Energy saving in urban area’s can be significant when sensors are deployed effectively. The scale and location of these sensors will make maintenance expensive, impractical and risky due to system down-time. The Nowi Power Module can simplify sensor implementation by elimanating their maintenance need. -
Temperature, light, air quality and noise sensors deployed in office buildings have the potential to increase workforce productivity by 10% while reducing energy consumption by 20%. Deploying thousands of sensors throughout each building creates facility management problems due to the high sensor maintenance need. The Nowi Power Module enables sensors to outlast the furtniture and possibly even the building itself. -
Livestock tracking, soil monitoring and smart logistics can increase yields in agriculture. It will require an enormous amount of sensors in challenging environments. This makes sensor maintenance problematic. The Nowi Power Module solves the power bottleneck for agricultural sensors. It thereby enables solutions that would have otherwise been too expensive or impractical. -
Air quality, current, temperature sensors and smoke detecors are poised to make industry safer, more sustainable and more productive. These sensors are often installed in hard to reach places and their reliability is key. The Nowi Power Module solves the power problem in sensors and thereby reduces the need for sensor maintenance in industrial settings -
From patient tracking to body temperature and smart patches, technology is slowly transforming healthcare. Electively deploying sensor technology in these settings has the potential to decrease healthcare costs while increasing the quality of care. Changing batteries or manually charging the small sensors required for these applications is both expensive and invasive for the patient. The Nowi Power Module is set to change this.
Applications
Solving the power bottleneck in smart sensors reduces the need for sensor maintenance significantly and thereby enables many applications.
The Nowi Power Module has been designed to be multi-purpose. It is able to power different types of sensors in different environments using a range of energy harvesting and battery hybrid options. Have a look how it could help your business.
Plug & ForgetTM
For the Internet of Things to fulfill its promise, sensors are required that operate maintenance- free for longer than the application they are used in. Plug & Forget sensors are needed.
- Minimum input voltage of 40mV
- 92% DC-DC conversion efficiency
- WiFi, GSM, PV, Piezo-electric harvesting
- Hybrid battery-energy harvesting enabled
The Nowi Power Module uses external energy sources as an additional means of power for small sensors. This enables the creation of sensors that are either completely battery-less or hybrid battery sensors with a greatly extended lifetime.
Power Module
The combination of a decade of academic research and several Nowi patents have created the Nowi Power Module. This energy harvesting and power management IC enables long-life sensor applications
Application Engineering
Applications possible in IoT are endless however they all share the same power problem. Nowi can make custom PCB designs to suit the specs needed in your application.
NOWI Team Members
Meet the people behind Nowi's innovation. A young and multidisciplinary team with a strong tech know-how and passion for innovation.
Simon van der Jagt
CEOSimon strongly believes that, at the bottom-line, the commercialization of technology benefits society.
With this vision he leads the team on a daily basis
Omar Link
COOOmar is the bridge between all engineering disciplines in the team. With his vision for products and eye for detail, he brings the most optimized product and is always thinking one step ahead
Dr. André Mansano
CTOAndré is a world leading expert in energy harvesting and power management. He is pushing the technological development of Nowi’s products forward.
-PhD micro electronics
Dr. Gustavo Campos Martins
Energy Harvesting ArchitectGustavo has a PhD on energy harvesting and efficient DC-DC conversion. This enables him to improve Nowi’s core technology
– PhD micro electronics
Pavel Novoselov
Analog IC designerPavel has 20 patents under his belt and experience in IC design at NXP as project lead, Samsung R&D and Amazon. With this experience and his novel idea’s he is a core asset of the Nowi technology team
-MSc micro electronics
Weichen Xu
Analog IC designerWeichen is a top analog IC engineer and an important part of the core technology developing the Nowi Power Module
-MSc micro electronics
Zhengrong Zhang
Electrical EngineerZhengrong is part of the application engineering team and as such as working on translating the Nowi Power Module technology into functional sensor applications
BSc embedded systems
Mario Lizana
Application EngineerMario uses his know-how in both embedded and micro electronics to put Nowi technology to work in custom projects.
-MSc embedded systems
Ehsan Zabihi
Embedded Systems EngineerEhsan is working on creating as low-power as possible sensor system while optimizing energy
harvesting efficiency
– MSc embedded systems
Salar Vakili
Mechanical EngineerSalar is an extremely skilled mechanical engineer that helps in translating Nowi technology to useable applications.
-MSc mechanical engineering
Nawied Salehpour
Application EngineerNawied uses his know-how in electrical engineering and IC testing to strengthen the Nowi team.
-MSc embedded systems
Simon Verkleij
RF Energy Harvestings a member of our Research and Development team, Simon has a role in the energy harvesting development of the Nowi. sensors
NOWI Advisors
Nowi is backed by seasoned entrepreneurs and leading academic researchers. They bring business and tech experience to the team.
Ad Scheepbouwer
Investor and advisorAd is helping Nowi as an investor at DTV and advisor. Ad has a long and very successful track record both as CEO and technology investor. He is the former CEO of Royal KPN and TNT Group and completed several successful technology investments, including RFS Group (Wehkamp) and Fox-IT. His experience includes general management, international roll-out and technology investments.
prof.dr.ir. Wouter Serdijn
Full professor at Delft University of Technology, where he heads the Section Bioelectronics.Has been leading one of the world’s best university departments on Energy Harvesting and Power Management innovations for over a decade
Dr. Przemysław Pawełczak
Head of embedded systems lab and professor at TU DelftPrzemek is world-leading in terms of radio frequency power harvesting and coaches the Nowi product team on a very regular basis.
Ivo de la Rive Box
Founder and CEO of Quby B.V.Ivo has founded Quby and with their Toon product has become the market leader in Europe for smart thermostats. His innovation and knowledge in business development is valuable for Nowi.
Jan Willem Klerkx
CCO ScyferJan-Willem has built and sold his own startup to Qualcomm. This serial-entrepreneur knows how to get a technology startup off the ground.
Bob Stassar
Partner at PNO, Managing Director StadsburgreeveBob was a partner at one of the largest financial consultancies in the Netherlands. As such he is extremely well-suited to advise Nowi on financing matters.
Recognition
Nowi technology has gotten commercial traction by global companies deploying Nowi technology in pilot projects. Furthermore it has received recognition from Research Institutions such as ASML, TU Delft and Mahankorn University. Finally there has been recognition through media and a range of International Innovation awards. Click on an item to find out more.
Nowi wins the Accenture Innovation award 2016
The jury of the Accenture Innovation awards has named Nowi as the Internet of Things winner. This was due to the international potential of the Nowi technology.
Nowi has won the Future Utility Cup and conducted a pilot in Dubai with DEWA in 2017
DEWA is the UAE’s largest utility company. A key part of their future will revolve around the effective use of sensor technology. A joint pilot has been conducted in the summer of 2017.
Pilot with T-Mobile in 2017
T-Mobile and Nowi have joined forces to enable the Internet of Things. Nowi harvests energy from 4G and GSM signals, while using the NB-loT protocol as a means of low-power communication.
RTLZ and Bright TV feature Nowi
Nowi has been chosen as one of the most promising new technology startups. Https://www.bright.nl/bright-tv/deze-delftse-startup-haalt-stroom-uit-wifi
Part of Europe’s Leading Tech Incubator
Nowi has gone through the incubation program of YEs!Delft. The Program is ranked second worldwide as business incubator.
Nowi has won the Startup World Cup in Denmark in 2016.
The Startup World Cup is a yearly competition in which startups from all over the world compete for the title. Nowi was chosen as the Internet of Things winner as the technology enables other innovations in the sector.
Pilot with BAM in 2017/2018
BAM and Nowi are together deploying sensors in roads. The sensors will be embedded in the road and use energy harvesting as a means of continuous power. The sensors help in making the Netherlands infrastructure smarter.
We Are In The News
From commercial projects, collaborations, innovation awards and other announcements. We will keep you up-to-date!
€1.5m Venture Capital Investment for Nowi
Nowi receives €1.5 million in funding from Disruptive Technology Ventures for the further development of their Energy Harvesting technology and finalization of the Power Module. Besides this, industry titans such as former KPN telecom CEO Ad Scheepbouwer will actively help the company in the further commercialization of the Nowi sensor technology.
Nowi receives R&D grant together with Qualinx
Nowi has received a R&D grant together with Qualinx from ‘Provincie Zuid-Holland‘. The aim is to further develop Nowi’s Power Module and combine this into a demonstrator with Qualinx ultra-low power GPS module.
BAM/T-Mobile/Nowi embed Plug & Forget sensor in roads
A temperature sensor, based on the Nowi Power Module and communicating via NB-IoT protocol has been embedded by BAM in Dutch roads
Pilot with DEWA in Dubai
Nowi has concluded a pilot with a temperature sensor built upon the Nowi Power Module with DEWA, UAE’s largest utility company.
Nowi wins Smart City Innovation Award
Minister of Foreign affairs Bert Koenders has given Nowi the award in New Delhi, India.
Additional funding for Nowi
Nowi has received a significant loan from the RVO in order to further speed up it’s product development.
Nowi wins Accenture Innovation Award
In the Internet of Things category a jury of experts has named Nowi the winner of the Accenture Innovation awards.