Fujitsu Develops Industry's First Flexible IoT-Supporting Beacon That Needs No Battery Replacement

Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. announced the development of a thin, light-weight beacon(1), weighing 3 grams with a thickness of 2.5 millimeters, that does not require battery replacement or other maintenance and is flexible enough for installation on round objects, corners, and curves. Previously, beacons that did not require battery replacement needed power-supply components, such as power-management ICs and secondary batteries, as control circuits to ensure adequate power on activation. These components, which are relatively thick and occupy a large area, make the beacons themselves rigid and large, limiting locations to which they can be attached. Fujitsu has developed power-control technology that temporarily deactivates the power monitor, which makes it possible to activate the beacon with the power from a solar cell. The need for conventional power-supply components is thus obviated, enabling beacons made of slimmer and smaller components to be operated. By mounting these components on thin, elastic silicone sheets, the beacon is thin and flexible, which allows it to conform to the shape of the object to which it is attached.