this post was submitted on 26 Jul 2024
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In no way is this a discovery.
This is what crystal diode radios are from the '40s.
Some guy built one in Japan, it's basically just a thousand transceivers in a box hooked up to a USB port harvesting radio/wifi signals.
Here's a guy using them to make light:
It's super cool, but not a discovery.
https://youtu.be/_pm2tLN6KOQ?si=ppEv2PkdK_MHFrw6
This would be neat for a bunch of passive IoT buttons. No need for a piezo to generate power, good for a couple presses at a time, just simple stuff like that.
Charge up a capacitor and allow a single button press to send a radio signal. Or maybe have enough power to send a WiFi signal.
You're right, that would be the preferred application atm.
I wonder if it could power a sensor. Something like a soil dampness or thermometer, where you only need a few updates per day. Could be pretty cool for passive monitoring applications.