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daleste
Dryers already monitor the clothes and switch off when they are dry. I just ...
jrs244
The clothes dryer costs of the order of $300 - $600. Why would a "premium" of ...
Panel casts doubt on MEMS for energy harvest
Peter Clarke
3/14/2013 1:10 PM EDT
The audience pushed back
Panelist Harry Zervos, a technology analyst with IDTechEx Ltd. argued that there is a tide that is running in the direction of energy harvesting. "Microgenerators and energy storage; ultra-low power electronics; low-energy wireless transmission protocols; these three coming together allows all sorts of things to happen. In building controls, in industrial automation and in things like predictive maintenance," he said.
Yeatman's response was that while there was little doubt that WSNs [wireless sensor networks] would happen the open question was whether they would be powered by microgenerators or by batteries. "Replacing batteries is an enormous burden in many applications. But you've got to get to very high volume to compete on price. The case for energy harvesting is not proven. It's an open race. We have to see what comes up."
Zervos said: "I am optimistic. We see interest in the applications because people get the vision," to which Yeatman responded: "In some cases technology can be too easy to understand and this can produce unrealistic expectations; the idea that you are going to have a non-charging cell phone, for example."
Another idea from the floor was that ultra-low power electronics would go even lower through the use of near- and sub-threshold switching of transistors and that would first be used to eke out batteries. However, other audience members argued that such energy-sipping systems would be a stimulus for the use of energy harvest measures instead of batteries.
Finally moderator Gyselinckx asked the audience whether they were less or more optimistic about energy harvesting than they were five years ago. Almost no-one was less optimistic while many hands went up to indicate they were more optimistic.
Related links and articles:
www.memsindustrygroup.org
News articles:
ST returns fire over MEMS patents
MEMS microphone shipments set to grow 30 percent
MEMS market growth accelerating
RF MEMS startup gains funds and veteran CEO
Bosch unveils consumer MEMS
Panelist Harry Zervos, a technology analyst with IDTechEx Ltd. argued that there is a tide that is running in the direction of energy harvesting. "Microgenerators and energy storage; ultra-low power electronics; low-energy wireless transmission protocols; these three coming together allows all sorts of things to happen. In building controls, in industrial automation and in things like predictive maintenance," he said.
Yeatman's response was that while there was little doubt that WSNs [wireless sensor networks] would happen the open question was whether they would be powered by microgenerators or by batteries. "Replacing batteries is an enormous burden in many applications. But you've got to get to very high volume to compete on price. The case for energy harvesting is not proven. It's an open race. We have to see what comes up."
Zervos said: "I am optimistic. We see interest in the applications because people get the vision," to which Yeatman responded: "In some cases technology can be too easy to understand and this can produce unrealistic expectations; the idea that you are going to have a non-charging cell phone, for example."
Another idea from the floor was that ultra-low power electronics would go even lower through the use of near- and sub-threshold switching of transistors and that would first be used to eke out batteries. However, other audience members argued that such energy-sipping systems would be a stimulus for the use of energy harvest measures instead of batteries.
Finally moderator Gyselinckx asked the audience whether they were less or more optimistic about energy harvesting than they were five years ago. Almost no-one was less optimistic while many hands went up to indicate they were more optimistic.
Related links and articles:
www.memsindustrygroup.org
News articles:
ST returns fire over MEMS patents
MEMS microphone shipments set to grow 30 percent
MEMS market growth accelerating
RF MEMS startup gains funds and veteran CEO
Bosch unveils consumer MEMS
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AntoineB
3/15/2013 7:44 AM EDT
I do not want to look polemic, but I am not convinced by Mr. Andosca's argument regarding cloth dryers.
I agree that this development could save power and money and I wish every dryer could feature those sensors. But on a practicle point of view, I do not see how a consumer would accept to pay a premium on a dryer for something which is not necessarily of huge interest. And I do not see why a dryer manufacturer would decide to include a new, non-mature device in its machine without a demand from the market. Appart from a governmental decision making mandatory such devices in dryers, I do not think there will ever be a market pull for this technology. This is typical techno-push.
This kind of reasoning applies to a lot of examples regarding energy harvesting!
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peter.clarke
3/15/2013 8:34 AM EDT
@AntoineB
I agree it looks like technology push.
But I might buy a clothes dryer that would switch itself off when the drum had reached a certain, selectable humidity....rather than dialing up a time.
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daleste
3/17/2013 9:04 PM EDT
Dryers already monitor the clothes and switch off when they are dry. I just looked on Sears.com and the cheapest dryer I found has this feature: Auto Dry monitors air temperature with an automatic thermostat and ends the cycle when clothes are properly dried
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jrs244
3/16/2013 5:37 PM EDT
The clothes dryer costs of the order of $300 - $600. Why would a "premium" of $5 be a problem?
Such consumer IoT devices will have to be sold for the sort of money that many people pay daily for a latte, and there is no reason why that price point cannot be achieved. Unlike the 5 cent RFID tag, there is still a real business in products which cost a few dollars each (with volumes eventually in the hundreds or millions or more).
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