Breakthrough technology from a grant from the University of Washington and electrical University has produced a computer chip that does not need a battery , and simply sucks radio waves from the air , converting these waves into electricity . The system , called The Wireless Identification and Power Platform ( WISP ) uses widely - available standard radio frequency , and while it is not designed to replace high - tech radios due to its small processor , it could transform the Internet of Things ( IoT ) as it is much less complex than most chips currently used in IoT devices . Possibly the biggest selling point of WISP is that it can be reprogrammed wirelessly , and is the first battery - free chip to have this capability , which would allow it to fix bugs or run problems on numerous IoT systems such as implantable health monitors or emergency alerts in smartphones .
Breakthrough technology from a team from the University of Washington and Delft University has produced a computer chip that does not need a battery, and simply sucks radio waves from the air, converting these waves into electricity. The system, called The Wireless Identification and Sensing Platform (WISP) uses widely-available standard radio frequency, and while it is not designed to replace high-tech computers due to its small processor, it could transform the Internet of Things (IoT) as it is much less complex than most chips currently used in IoT devices. Possibly the biggest selling point of WISP is that it can be reprogrammed wirelessly, and is the first battery-free chip to have this capability, which would allow it to fix bugs or run updates on numerous IoT systems such as implantable health monitors or emergency alerts in smartphones.