The SUPERIOT project, coordinated by a professor and funded by the EU Smart Networks & Services Joint Undertaking, aims to address the massive environmental impact of the projected trillion IoT devices in the 6G era by shifting from battery-dependent systems to sustainable, battery-free designs. The initiative integrates printed photovoltaic cells and supercapacitors to harvest ambient light, enabling ultra-low-cost, sticker-like nodes that combine hybrid optical-radio communication with precise positioning and sensing capabilities. By adhering to principles of sustainable design, implementation, usage, and disposal, the project seeks to eliminate reliance on disposable batteries and reduce the energy-intensive manufacturing footprint of billions of future devices. This dual-mode approach ensures resilient, energy-autonomous operation in dynamic environments like logistics and healthcare, offering a scalable alternative to traditional resource-heavy IoT infrastructure.
Source: https://www.6gflagship.com/news/rethinking-iot/
Keywords: printed electronics, ambient light harvesting, batteryless IoT, sustainable design, recyclable components