Aju Business Daily

SEOUL -- Researchers from a South Korean state research institute and a comprehensive American system of higher education in the United States have developed an Internet of Things gateway that will contribute to the expansion of mega-sized IoT networks using an energy-harvesting technology.

The IoT gateway is a device that collects data from IoT devices such as sensors and beacons. It creates an IoT network that connects devices. While IoT devices use low energy-consumption technology to consume very little electricity generated by solar panels or tiny batteries, a gateway device requires a power source at a similar level to those of ordinary home appliances.

The state-run Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology (KAIST) said in a statement on July 13 that researchers from KAIST and the State University of New York System have developed an IoT gateway device that uses backscattering technology to collect energy without the need of power source.

Backscattering technology allows wireless nodes to communicate without the need for active radiofrequency components. KAIST's newly developed IoT gateway turns IoT signals into a WiFi wireless communication format before reflecting them. The whole process is done without a power source because a device embedded with backscatter technology sucks energy from radiofrequency it collects.

"This technology will contribute to the expansion of internet connectivity of IoT networks that are getting larger," a KAIST official said, adding the cost of setting up an IoT network will be lesser than setting up a conventional one .

Currently, IoT networks are used everywhere including smart factories and city streets. IoT devices will communicate with nearby devices to exchange data. The global IoT market is rapidly growing at an annual average growth rate of 10.5 percent to reach $690 billion in 2025, according to market report company Reportlinker.com.