Everactive Launches Battery‑Free IoT Sensors Powered by Light and Heat

Everactive, founded by MIT graduates Ben Calhoun and Dave Wentzloff, is redefining IoT monitoring with self‑powering sensors that draw energy from indoor solar and waste heat. By harvesting ambient light from artificial sources and converting thermal gradients into electricity, the company eliminates the need for batteries or power cables, offering unprecedented flexibility for field deployments.

These compact modules can track temperature, humidity, light, vibration, motion, sound, and pressure, making them suitable for a wide array of industrial and environmental applications. The sensors employ sub‑microwatt wake‑up receivers and ultra‑low‑power ICs, ensuring that even with minimal power input, the devices remain operational.

Everactive’s dual‑technology approach—combining well‑understood energy‑harvesting methods with ultra‑low‑consumption electronics—creates a fully autonomous IoT network. Data is transmitted via a proprietary, always‑on sub‑GHz protocol that delivers an 800‑foot range and penetrates walls and other obstacles, feeding an on‑premises gateway that can manage hundreds of nodes before sending information to Everactive’s Evercloud back‑end for analysis.

The financial advantage is clear: thousands of battery‑powered sensors incur significant labor and battery costs over their lifespan. Self‑powered units eliminate maintenance, particularly in hard‑to‑reach or hazardous locations—such as sensors on volcano rims or industrial steam‑trap systems—where battery replacement would be impractical or dangerous.

Everactive’s flagship product currently monitors steam traps, allowing facility operators to detect issues remotely and avoid wasteful steam loss, while the company continues to develop solutions for remote asset monitoring and other high‑impact use cases.