Design and Implementation of RF Energy-Harvesting Tag for Batteryless IoT Communication

Objective: To develop a batteryless IoT tag that harvests ambient RF energy for wireless communication in low-power sensor networks.

India faces a major challenge in deploying large-scale IoT sensor networks in remote, rural, and industrial areas where battery maintenance is costly and impractical. This affects industries such as agriculture, logistics, and smart infrastructure, where reliable sensor data is needed but frequent battery replacement is not feasible.

The proposed solution is an engineering design of an RF energy-harvesting tag that captures ambient radio-frequency energy (from GSM, Wi-Fi, TV towers) and converts it into usable power for a low-power IoT device. The tag integrates an efficient rectenna, energy storage, and ultra-low-power microcontroller with a wireless communication module, enabling sensor data transmission without a battery.

Key deliverables include a fabricated prototype of the tag with a custom-designed rectenna, energy management circuit, and demonstration of sensor data transmission to a gateway. Features include performance benchmarking (harvested power vs. RF field strength), communication range analysis, and live demonstration under real RF conditions.

Industry and societal impact: The solution reduces maintenance costs, enables scalable deployment of IoT sensors in hard-to-reach areas, and supports sustainable smart infrastructure. It is scalable for agriculture, logistics tracking, and urban monitoring, and aligns with India's push for smart cities and green technology.