Batteryless machine-health monitor enabled by low-power computer chips

Everactive (Charlottesville, Va.; www.everactive.com) has just launched its Machine Health Monitor (MHM) product for batteryless vibration and temperature sensing of process machinery (photo). The MHM harvests waste energy from small temperature differentials (10°F or greater) and ambient light (100 lux or greater) to power the sensor and to transmit wireless data continuously. The product joins Everactive’s initial product, a batteryless industrial internet of things (IIoT) temperature sensor for steam-trap applications. The batteryless sensor systems are made possible by ultra-low-power computer chips designed with sub-threshold circuits that operate continuously with miniscule levels of electricity. “There’s nothing exotic about the chip materials and manufacturing process,” explains Brian Alessi, marketing director for Everactive. “The ability to sense and transmit data continuously results from the careful design of the system as a whole, with the objective of operating under the ‘energy ceiling’ for harvested power.” Everactive[/caption] Asset sensor systems represent a critical aspect of the trend toward digitalization and IIoT-enabled process optimization, but the sensors require power to detect signals…