Dear , 

8power is a spin out from the University of Cambridge’s Department of Engineering, exploiting technology from the research group of Dr Ashwin Seshia, Reader in Microsystems Technology and founder of Silicon Microgravity, another UCEF III Investee Company.

The company’s technology is built on two types of device, both with substantially higher performance than existing solutions. In vibration energy harvesting, use of a phenomenon known as parametric resonance makes it possible to achieve higher power and bandwidth than earlier devices, allowing sensors and other types of device to operate far beyond the endurance of batteries where suitable motion is present. In sensors based on micro electro-mechanical systems (MEMS), the company uses related engineering principles to allow devices to be manufactured to measure mechanical and environmental properties with unprecedented efficiency, at low cost and very low power.

The two technologies work well together in applications where a parameter needs to be measured and vibration energy can be harvested, and may also be used separately or in conjunction with other types of sensor.

The Market Opportunity
The technology has application in markets where wireless power is desired and where conventional power systems (in particular batteries) are unsuitable because of battery life, size and difficulty of placement, and cost in terms of access, inspection and replacement.

Three priority market areas have been identified by the company.

• Industry: Power harvesting is of significant interest as sensors often need to be located in hard-to-access areas or inside machinery. Conventional power supply may be impossible, and battery replacement can mean significant downtime and therefore cost. Using energy harvesting can solve these problems in many cases, and is expected to enable new types of application.

• Rail and transport: Example opportunities include remote monitoring of rail freight and infrastructure assets (e.g. tunnels and bridges) where a ‘fit and forget’ solution is advantageous compared to a wired solution or battery replacement.

• Utility and infrastructure: 8power technology can be used for condition monitoring of utility networks, for example to reduce costs of inspection and maintenance of supporting structures and machinery.

Case study - Forth Road Bridge
One of the team’s prototype vibration energy harvesters was trialled on the Forth Road Bridge in April 2015 to assess the practicality of using this technology as an alternative to battery power. As was illustrated by the failure of a joint on the bridge later that year leading to an extended closure, many large structures like this would benefit from ongoing monitoring.

A harvester prototype with a volume of 126cc was fitted to the bridge’s bracing structure. Measurements indicated that the harvester was able to produce over 1mW of continuous power from the vibrations induced by traffic and wind, and it is expected that optimisation of the harvester for this application would increase this significantly. At this level, a range of sensors and wireless communications networks can be operated on a duty cycled basis, and the company’s MEMS sensors can be operated continuously.

“This limited duration field test provides the initial validation for realising vibration-powered wireless structural health monitoring systems in real world infrastructure, where the vibration profile is both broadband and intermittent,” said 8power co-founder Dr Yu Jia, who conducted the test.

For further information on this case study, please visit http://www-smartinfrastructure.eng.cam.ac.uk/news/new-vibration-energy-harvester-powers-up-on-forth-road-bridge

The Team
Dr Antony Rix, CEO, was previously Senior Consultant in Communications at TTP, selling and delivering £million+ programmes in relevant markets, and co-founded a start-up, Psytechnics. He is a leading expert on the Internet of Things, co-chairing the CW Connected Devices SIG.

Ashwin Seshia, Co-Founder, has been a member of the Engineering Department at the University of Cambridge since 2002, a Reader in Microsystems Technology and a Fellow of Queens' College. He holds MS and PhD degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences from the University of California, Berkeley.
Ashwin is also a co-founder of Silicon Microgravity, another UCEF III investee company.

Dr Yu Jia, Co-founder, is a lecturer in Science & Engineering, University of Chester. He is the inventor of the key energy harvesting technology based on parametric resonance.

Dr Jize Yan, Co-founder, is an Associate Professor at the University of Southampton. He has been a key contributor to the company’s development of applications of the technology.

Prof Kenichi Soga, Co-founder, is Chancellor’s Professor, University of California, Berkeley. He is a leading expert in structural condition monitoring.

The Investment Case
8power can be seen as a pioneer in the next generation of industrial monitoring technology. The assembled team is undoubtedly world-class in the area of MEMS, the technology that will underpin the future of low-cost and high-performance sensors and power sources. Potential applications in established markets and the emerging area of IoT are numerous. Corporate activity in this area was illustrated by the recent acquisition of Cambridge CMOS Sensors by Austrian fabless semiconductor manufacturer AMS.

Whilst 8power is undoubtedly in the earlier stages of commercialisation, UCEF III takes comfort in investing alongside trusted partners Cambridge Enterprise and IP Group.

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