Embedded Executive Podcast Embedded Executive: Energy Harvesting Replaces Batteries/Traditional Power Sources | WePower Technologies
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Jan 28, 2026 Larry Richenstein, Founder and CEO of WePower Technologies, builds kinetic energy harvesters that eliminate batteries for wireless controls. The conversation covers powering BLE and Z-Wave transceivers from button pushes and knob turns. Demos include a battery-free light switch, a 90-degree-powered door lock, and an upcoming liquid leak detector.
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Kinetic Harvesting Outperforms Older Methods
- WePower harvests kinetic energy from simple movements like pushes, slides, turns, and vibrations to power electronics without batteries.
- Their generators deliver 2–20 millijoules over ~250 ms, far longer and stronger than older solutions, enabling reliable wireless signaling.
Patented Oscillation Extends Energy Output
- The company uses Faraday's law by moving a magnet through a copper coil but in patented configurations that prolong output via oscillation.
- Prolonged oscillation yields much more usable energy than a single transient pulse for powering electronics.
CES Demo: Battery-Free Light Switch
- At CES WePower demoed the G300 slide-switch integrated into a Focus SB lighting controller to create a battery-free wireless light switch.
- The demo used standard BLE and showed reliable remote on/off control without a battery in the switch.