Irvine, CA - Integra Devices has been awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II grant for $750,000 to develop and commercialize miniature energy harvesting systems. This effort leverages Integra Devices’ unique technology portfolio to produce a new generation of small energy sources for wireless sensing applications.

The Internet of Things promises to revolutionize efficiency and optimization by deploying billions of connected devices and sensors in the physical world. Many, if not most, of these edge devices will require wireless operation, enabling deployment in locations where electrical infrastructure does not exist or is too difficult and costly to install. However, one of the largest limitations of wirelessly deployed sensors is the limited lifetime of conventional batteries.

Unique energy harvesting technology from Integra Devices can convert low energy sources in the environment (such as vibrations) into electrical energy to recharge a battery and perpetually power wireless IoT sensors. Integra’s proprietary miniaturization expertise and other innovations are being applied to develop a new suite of small energy harvesting products for a variety of applications. This National Science Foundation-sponsored project will initially target industrial asset monitoring and predictive maintenance, producing small perpetual batteries that use the vibrations from motors, blowers, and other industrial equipment to power the wireless sensors monitoring their performance.

“For optimum deployment, wireless IoT sensors need to be small, cost-effective, and free of power limitations”, said Mark Bachman, CTO of Integra and Principal Investigator of the project. “Integra Devices’ unique manufacturing capabilities and innovative technology enables us to produce zero-power, autonomous sensor solutions at reasonable cost.”

“Integra is very excited about this NSF-backed follow on effort to commercialize our energy harvesting technology” said Sourabh Dhillon, Director of Business Development at Integra. “Offering disruptive IoT solutions for the industry is a huge priority for us and this is truly exemplified with this Phase II project. With over two years of research and development, we have seen great demand from the market and have already secured purchase orders and support from leading industrial sensor companies.”

“The National Science Foundation supports startups and small businesses with the most innovative, cutting-edge ideas that have the potential to become great commercial successes and make huge societal impacts,” said Graciela Narcho, Acting Director of the Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships at NSF. “We hope that seed funding will spark solutions to some of the most important challenges of our time across all areas of science and technology.”

About Integra Devices

Integra Devices is a Southern California tech startup producing the next-generation of ultra-small industrial components for high value markets such as telecom, aerospace, manufacturing, and life sciences. Through powerful new manufacturing paradigms (Amalga™and others), Integra has surpassed the limitations of current micro-manufacturing, allowing the production of products that could not have been built before. For more information, contact Sourabh Dhillon at sdhillon@integradevices.com
About the National Science Foundation's Small Business Programs

America’s Seed Fund powered by the National Science Foundation (NSF) awards nearly $200 million annually to startups and small businesses, transforming scientific discovery into products and services with commercial and societal impact. America’s Seed Fund is congressionally mandated through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. The NSF is an independent federal agency with a budget of about $8.4 billion that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering. To learn more about the NSF SBIR/STTR program, visit: seedfund.nsf.gov.l

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