Atmosic Technologies, an innovator in ultra-low-power wireless technology for the Internet of Things (IoT), and SMK Electronics Corporation, a global designer and manufacturer of advanced OEM electronic components, announced a strategic partnership to integrate Atmosic’s M3 system-on-chip (SoC) into a range of connected devices from SMK.
These IoT solutions, which will include remote controls and sensors, integrate Atmosic’s Controlled Energy Harvesting, in addition to the company’s Lowest Power Radio and On-demand Wake-Up Receiver, to enable forever battery life and eliminate the need for battery replacement. SMK and Atmosic are also working on an IoT module integrated with the Atmosic M2 SoC for industrial and commercial IoT applications.
“Imagine not ever having to worry about replacing the batteries in your remote. Atmosic and SMK are committed to drastically reducing the battery dependence of IoT devices to make this a reality,” said Srinivas Pattamatta, vice president of business development at Atmosic. “Eliminating the need for battery replacement not only cuts maintenance costs, but it also can help prevent equipment failures caused by battery life issues.”
Atmosic is the only company that offers Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and energy harvesting in an integrated SoC, reducing the overall bill of materials while enabling storage and sourcing of energy from radio frequency (RF), photovoltaic, thermal or mechanical sources. The Atmosic M3 Series Bluetooth 5 SoC leverages harvested energy, along with its low power consumption, to extend battery life or even eliminate the need for batteries in IoT devices. With the M3 solution, SMK will offer remote controls and sensors for consumer, commercial and industrial markets that utilise ambient energy to solve the problem of battery replacement.
“Our partnership with Atmosic is a natural next step for SMK to capitalise on the growing interest in connected devices with extended battery life,” said Joe Otsuka, SMK’s GM of Sales. “Integrating the Atmosic M3 SoC into our products could help eliminate the use of millions of batteries, marking a significant step forward in ending the era of battery dependence.”
“One of the major challenges for IoT adoption continues to be the cost and hassle of battery replacement,” said Alex Davies of Rethink Research. “There is a strong market demand for BLE products with integrated energy harvesting technology to solve the customer experience headache of having to change batteries in dozens to hundreds of smart home devices such as remotes and other types of connected devices used in consumer products.”
SMK products with Atmosic’s M3 will be available in Q4 2020 and will be available in the U.S. and Japan, along with several other markets in Asia.
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