Californian RF-based intelligent wireless power network developer Energous and Dutch IoT logistics provider InnoTractor are working together to integrate wireless power for real-time asset tracking.

The partnership will enable InnoTractor to integrate and deploy Energous’ PowerBridge technology and Wiliot’s IoT Pixel tags, providing asset tracking with lower costs, increased mobility and improved sustainability.

As IoT continues its rapid growth, including in the asset-tracking market, deploying cost-effective and reliable technology can be critical to cost optimisation efforts among supply chains. A complex asset-tracking infrastructure has multiple subsystems interacting with each other to identify items such as finished goods or raw materials, and to provide end users with real-time information on stock status.

Deploying complete asset-tracking technology requires effort and collaboration from different parties, in particular system components suppliers and system integrators.

Through this partnership, Energous will provide its wireless power technology and Wiliot IoT Pixel labels, which InnoTractor will integrate into different asset tracking subsystems to deliver customised, wirelessly powered IoT technology for logistics and supply chain users.

“The asset tracking market is exploding alongside the growth of IoT, driving the need to provide internet-connected asset tracker deployments with reliable and consistent power,” said Cesar Johnston, CEO of Energous. “Our partnership with InnoTractor expands our reach into the European market, enabling them to provide customised wireless power solutions to their end customers.”

Founded in 2018, InnoTractor implements digital technologies. Using IoT, blockchain, cloud and the latest wireless technologies, InnoTractor reduces emissions and waste, including waste of time, operational inefficiencies, loss of opportunity and wasted physical goods due to insufficiently controlled conditions during transport.

It provides IoT-based technology for logistics and supply chains to track assets such as RTIs (returnable transport items) and ownership, and monitor goods and conditions. InnoTractor provides actionable insights and control over supply chain, monitors service level agreements and connects parties in the end-to-end supply chain. Wiliot products and services, such as its IoT Pixel tags, provide a part of the complete offering for asset detection and goods condition monitoring.

“This partnership is a tremendous example of system suppliers like Energous and Wiliot working with IoT platform providers and integrators like InnoTractor to solve one of the most pressing challenges in asset tracking: how to provide reliable power to IoT devices in large deployments,” said Frank Hermans, CEO of InnoTractor. “We share with Energous a vision of enabling a new generation of IoT devices free from the burden of replaceable batteries and power cables and with lower costs, increased mobility and sustainability.”

The joint offering will include Energous PowerBridges along with Wiliot IoT Pixel tags by leveraging its inlay-assembly and tag-conversion partners. InnoTractor will provide its Gravity IoT platform, Orbitz trackers and gateways, and its integration services in various operational environments, tailoring the implementation to the user need.

Energous’ WattUp technology supports contact and distance charging through a compatible ecosystem. Built atop fast, efficient and scalable RF-based charging technology, WattUp is positioned to offer improvements over older, coil-based charging technologies in power, efficiency, foreign device detection, freedom of movement and overall cost for industrial and retail IoT, smart homes, smart cities and medical devices.

Energous develops silicon-based wireless power transfer (WPT) technologies and customisable reference designs, and provides worldwide regulatory assistance, a reliable supply chain, quality assurance, and sales and technical support to global users. The company received the world’s first FCC Part 18 certification for at-a-distance wireless charging and has been awarded over 200 patents for its WattUp wireless charging technology.

InnoTractor is an IoT company with the vision of zero waste supply chains. InnoTractor was founded in 2018 by Frank Hermans and has grown to a team of 16 professionals, serving customers in the packaging, production and healthcare industries in Europe.