How Wireless Power Networks can breathe new life into the original IoT vision

In the early 1990s, Kevin Ashton, a Procter & Gamble product manager, coined the term "Internet of Things" (IoT) to persuade his bosses to invest in an ambitious lipstick tracking project. The goal was to develop wireless sensing technology to ensure popular colors remained in stock. Ashton later played a pivotal role in the development of seminal radio frequency ID (RFID) standards, which are widely used for tracking products, processing credit card transactions, and opening doors.

These days, hardly anyone refers to RFID technology as IoT, even though there are literally billions of them. RFID technology has also evolved beyond simply tracking products, with more advanced versions that can track temperatures, vibration, and other data. However, this only works when they are being energized by a special RFID transmitter or if they have a battery that needs to be replaced or eventually disposed of.

Recent progress in Wireless Power Networks (WPN), including FCC and European regulatory approvals and the introduction of a new AirFuel RF standard, may breathe new life into Ashton’s original vision, now being referred to as Ambient IoT. WPN utilizes a similar unlicensed frequency for powering low-cost sensors with limited computing capabilities, but these tags report back using Bluetooth Low Energy signals that billions of smartphones, tablets, and base stations can read.

Moreover, these postage-stamp-sized tags can continuously stream data and ditch the battery. This will be essential for ensuring compliance with upcoming EU regulations on battery disposal. That said, larger devices, such as automated price tags on store shelves, may still require a battery, but they won't need to be manually recharged annually.

The AirFuel Alliance partners are working together to support device diversity and customize workflows that span physical sensors and cloud data management. This approach enables businesses to scale ambient IoT deployments efficiently while leveraging multiple technology providers within a unified network.

Building on RFID

Giampaolo Marino, Senior Vice President of Strategy and Business Development at Energous, which is building WPN transmitters, tags, and a cloud service, says:

Much like Wi-Fi transformed connectivity from something tethered and static into an ambient utility, WPNs are doing the same for energy. By eliminating the dependence on batteries, cords, or charging cycles, WPNs create a persistent power layer that enables ambient IoT devices to operate continuously. The result is real-time intelligence at scale, where pallets, packages, shelves, and equipment become live data points that can be tracked and optimized without the cost and disruption of constant maintenance.

Marino envisions RFID and WPN as complementary technologies that allow enterprises to think about use cases where they need a continuous stream of data rather than occasional or manual reads:

RFID has long provided the foundation for supply chain visibility, offering reliable identification at fixed checkpoints. WPNs build on that foundation by unlocking continuous intelligence. Rather than competing, the two technologies complement one another. RFID delivers the baseline identification layer, while WPNs extend that visibility into constant, granular insights. Together, they illuminate the supply chain with both identification and real-time insight.

Energous and other AirFuel Alliance partners believe that the new WPN standards will enable the cost-efficient scaling of fleets of low-cost sensors and small computers. For example, it could provide visibility across thousands of sensors at a fraction of the expense of legacy approaches. Ceiling- or wall-mounted transmitters can simultaneously energize thousands of sensors, enabling item-level monitoring across logistics, cold chains, and retail spaces. Marino says:

In this way, wireless power becomes the backbone of Ambient IoT, an invisible yet critical layer of infrastructure that allows intelligence to scale seamlessly across the physical world.

Interoperability is key

The goal of the AirFuel alliance is to support interoperability across base stations and cloud services that work with sensors and tags from a broad ecosystem of partners, making it easier to deploy multi-vendor systems at scale. This foundation has also been strengthened by regulatory progress. The FCC has approved WPN equipment for 1-watt operation, and there is momentum toward 2-watt operation. Plans are also in the works for 4-watt systems in the future. Each of these increases expands coverage and reduces the number of transmitters needed for a given facility.

Energous positions itself as both an equipment vendor and platform provider, offering the hardware, software, and cloud infrastructure needed to deploy and manage Ambient IoT networks. For example, a global cold chain logistics company deployed WPN tags across refrigerated containers, with transmitters at distribution centers and transfer points. The tags provided real-time temperature and motion data, enabling proactive responses to anomalies such as rising temperatures or unexpected movement. The deployment resulted in measurable reductions in spoilage and improved on-time delivery rates.

Other use cases include healthcare (monitoring vaccine temperatures), vertical farming (monitoring light spectrum, humidity, and temperature), industrial and logistics (warehouses, loading docks, distribution centers, and manufacturing floors), and retail (smart shelves and asset tracking) operations. Today, WPNs primarily power low-energy sensors and tags, but as power density and transmitter efficiency increase, AirFuel members believe these capabilities will continue to expand.

The primary economic drivers are reduced battery maintenance, elimination of service downtime, and improved operational intelligence. Marino says:

Compared with RFID or battery-powered IoT, wireless power infrastructure can be deployed for a fraction of the cost, while delivering continuous, streaming data that strengthens decision-making, compliance, and sustainability. Always-on, battery-free monitoring reduces spoilage in cold chains, prevents inventory loss in retail, and supports healthcare and industrial operations. ROI and TCO are measured by comparing total device and operational costs (including battery replacement, labor, and downtime) against efficiency gains, loss prevention, and risk reduction enabled by continuous sensing.”

Beaming watts of radio waves throughout large spaces sounds slightly dangerous. However, Marino assures me that they have demonstrated to regulators that innovations in RF power mean these devices operate at extremely low energy levels, far below those of everyday devices like cell phones, and pose no harm to people. The AirFuel alliance is also developing industry-wide specifications and guidelines to ensure the technology remains safe across various environments, including retail, healthcare, and others.

My take

The history of the Internet of Things has a somewhat puzzling and slightly conflicting etymology. After all, the word was coined to sell management on the idea that eventually evolved into RFID. However, these days, hardly anyone refers to their credit card, door key, or vehicle key fob as an IoT device. By the way, it’s a ‘fob,’ not ‘FOB,’ because it came from the German word for pocket watch rather than an acronym.

In the early 2000s, I wrote a few stories about some interesting projects at Berkeley aimed at creating wireless smart dust or motes. The vision was to build tiny, millimeter-sized sensors and computers that could be sprinkled onto a battlefield (they were soliciting DARPA funding). This seems to properly earn the designation of IoT, but the term did not catch on at the time. All of the companies started by these professors appear to have gone out of business or been acquired by larger companies that decided to focus on other areas.

It was only in the 2010s when the term IoT started coming back into vogue, popularized by new cloud services that provided a comprehensive backend. The IoT has always seemed like a necessity for building better digital twins to monitor the world, but has not yet achieved the ubiquity afforded by the simplicity and low cost of RFID, not to mention barcodes.

It's notable that the companies supporting WPN all appear to be adopting the term ‘Ambient IoT'. Maybe this means Ashton’s original vision will get a new lease on life. After all, smarter postage-sized sensors & computers that don’t require a battery seem to have a better chance of scaling massively than the more complex IoT gadgets hitting the market today.