Printed electronics has witnessed numerous intriguing concepts and some market successes in recent years, but there have been some limitations. For example, many products require some sort of power supply, whether it is for lighting, verification of smart cards or other applications.

Headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, Powercast Corporation is ideally situated to provide the wireless power n needed to make their devices functional.

“Powercast has been bringing real, radio-frequency (RF)-based long-range wireless power solutions to the world since 2003,” said Maria Singer, marketing and sales manager for Powercast Corporation. “These solutions combine Powercast’s FCC-approved transmitters and tiny embeddable receiver chips to enable automatic, over-the-air charging of multiple devices – no charging mats or direct line of sight needed.”

In 2007, Powercast received CNET’s “Best of CES” honors for its ability to harvest the energy from a transmitted RF signal to power small, battery-operated devices such as hearing aids or cell phones. The company has branched out since then.

“Ours is a trickle charge technology, meaning that instead of delivering a high amount of power for a short amount of time (such as with wired charging), we deliver a low amount of power for a longer period of time,” Singer said. “As such, Powercast focuses on devices which are inherently low power, or devices which can typically last longer periods between wired charging.”

“After winning CNET’s ‘Best of CES’ in 2007, we took a step back from the consumer market to hone our skills in commercial and industrial spaces,” Singer noted. “In 2018 we added the consumer market back into our mix and are making great inroads penetrating that market, and now in 2020, we have found a place in printed and flexible electronics.”

In 2018, Powercast began work with PPG Industries to jointly develop printed electronics solutions using PPG’s TESLIN substrate and conductive coatings.

“Wirelessly illuminated packaging, which lights up to showcase products on a shelf, and smart ID cards, which electronically verify user credentials without the need for a battery, were our original targets,” Singer observed. “But it has since become apparent that all printed and flexible electronics can benefit from a wireless power solution.

“We are excited to combine our wireless power technology with that of others, such as PPG, Liquid X and E Ink, to enable fully sealed, waterproof designs that never have to be disposed of because of a dead battery or limited in functionality by a thick PCB or lack of access to power,” she added.

Singer noted that Powercast is co-developing with PPG several battery-less printed electronics solutions, including a wirelessly illuminated PPG Teslin label for packaging that lights up to showcase products on a shelf, and a secure ID card that verifies user credentials without a battery.

“We also recently re-designed Powercast’s original UHF RFID Retail Price Tag using PPG’s Teslin to create a new shelf-edge version,” Singer noted. “This batteryless electronic shelf-edge label (ESL) features an ePaper display from E Ink and is capable of over-the-air wireless price updates using typical UHF RFID readers that already exist in facility infrastructures. We hope to be able to move to a roll-to-roll printing process for our wirelessly illuminated packaging and labeling solutions, which can be printed on PPG’s TESLIN substrate.”

Powercast recently announced a partnership with Liquid X, in which Liquid X’s functional metallic inks will be integrated into garments, providing wireless power functionality into e-textiles.

A prototype was shown at CES 2020; the ink can be printed directly onto the clothing, with Powercast adding its wireless power technology and a rechargeable battery. The clothing is flexible, and can be washed. Functionalities can include LED lighting and monitoring health and wellness.

“The performance of these smart printed wearables has proven excellent as well,” Singer reported. “In one prototype, Liquid X used their inks to print a wireless power receiving antenna and circuitry on a stretchable athletic shirt. They also attached our Powerharvesting chips to illuminate two LEDs. At up to 10ft away from the wireless power transmitter, the garment can still be wirelessly powered while being flexed and stretched.”

Singer sees potential opportunities for Powercast, including wearables, smart cards and smart packaging.

“Truthfully, this is a new territory for Powercast,” Singer noted. “We are excited for the potential we’ve already experienced and especially excited for the unexplored avenues we continue to encounter. Wireless power is on track for ubiquitous adoption – printed and flexible electronics provide the next step in that direction.

“While some of our customers do not exist directly within the packaging, secure credential or wearable garment spaces, those product demonstrations are oftentimes a gateway to enabling wireless charging within other flexible and printed electronics products,” added Singer. “Every day we are presented with a new use case for our technology, and we’re always excited to explore these new avenues.”