Lightricity has developed a batteryless, indoor light-powered Bluetooth LE tag that provides a sustainable IoT asset tracking solution with a carbon footprint reduction of over 50 percent compared to battery-powered alternatives. This plug-and-play ‘4EverTrack micro’ solution is compatible with a wide range of real-time location systems (RTLS) including all Bluetooth LE-based indoor navigation and wayfinding solutions used in, for example, hospitals, retail centers, airports, warehouses, and exhibition venues. The tag also incorporates a temperature sensor for applications requiring environmental monitoring.
The integrated Nordic Semiconductor nRF52805 SoC’s powerful 64 MHz 32-bit Arm Cortex-M4 processor provides the core processing capability for the 4EverTrack micro to oversee the analysis of location and sensor data. The nRF52805 SoC-enabled Bluetooth LE wireless connectivity is used to relay this data to any Bluetooth gateway or a user’s smartphone. 4EverTrack micro is designed to be compatible and configured to interact with any iOS/Android smartphone app or web platform. To assist development and evaluation, Lightricity can provide an Android app and web dashboards that display all 4EverTrack micro data and payload information in real time.
The 4EverTrack micro tracker comes in an ultra-compact (10 by 10 by 2 mm) PCB form factor and is powered by photovoltaic (PV) energy harvesting through Lightricity’s proprietary indoor PV cell. The tag is designed to operate from a light level as low as 50 lux to bright ambient light conditions of over 1000 lux. By integrating PV energy harvesting technology into their products and applications, solution providers and end users can eliminate the maintenance time and costs associated with battery recharge or replacement.
