Ambient Photonics Showcases Battery-Free Electronics at CES 2024

Ambient Photonics is bringing its groundbreaking solar technology to CES 2024. Attendees can see and touch a range of real-world designs that demonstrate once and for all: Batteries are dead and indoor light is the future power source for billions of connected devices, from remote controls to building sensors and other ambient IoT technology.

Ambient Photonics, whose early investors include Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund and leading venture capital firms, has developed a unique dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) capable of delivering up to 3X more power than other indoor solar solutions in some of the lowest light conditions.

This means that electronics powered by Ambient Photonics solar cells will continue to perform in any indoor light. And because they’re designed to replace much heavier, thicker — and wasteful — batteries, Ambient Photonics solar cells allow manufacturers to create sleeker products with minimal carbon impact.

“In today’s world, connected electronics require ongoing power, which too often derives from disposable or rechargeable batteries,” said Bates Marshall, Ambient Photonics’ co-founder and CEO. “Solar power has long been an option for certain low-power electronics like calculators or toys, but it’s taken breakthrough science from Ambient Photonics to develop high-performance solar cell technology for mass-market devices.”

Unlike other, higher-cost solar technologies that require unrealistically bright conditions, Ambient Photonics cells are built for real-world, low-light applications. They use revolutionary new molecules and manufacturing processes to harness indoor and outdoor ambient light and create an endless power source. Ambient Photonics cells demonstrate three times better light harvesting efficiency than conventional solutions, which means a single Ambient Photonics DSSC can produce the power it would normally take much larger indoor solar cells to produce.

“Power is a meta resource — the key to enabling electronics manufacturers to unleash the full, ubiquitous potential of connected devices,” Marshall continued. “Ambient light power is the key to doing so efficiently and sustainably by keeping billions of batteries out of landfills and allowing companies to minimize carbon emissions.”

Solar Cells that Harvest Power from Two Sides

During CES 2024, Ambient Photonics will demonstrate the abilities of the company’s first bifacial solar cell, capable of producing more power in cutting-edge device designs.

The Ambient Photonics Low-Light Indoor Bifacial Solar Cell can harvest light energy from the back and front of the solar cell simultaneously. Designed into a remote control, for example, an Ambient Photonics-powered device with a bifacial cell could power itself whether it rests face-up or face-down on a coffee table.

“Our bifacial solar cell technology is a game-changer for all kinds of devices,” Marshall noted. “We can imagine a host of connected devices, including electronic shelf labels, building sensors, and more that not only power themselves more effectively in ambient light, but can also be designed and mounted in a variety of flexible ways and perform regardless of shape or orientation.”

What’s more, because light power can be harvested from two sides, devices that include Ambient Photonics Low-Light Indoor Bifacial Solar Cell technology can produce more energy, boosting cell efficiency and enabling more powerful electronics. The front side of an Ambient bifacial solar cell delivers 100% of the power that Ambient cells are known for, while the back side delivers at least 50% of the energy as the front side.

Manufacturers Embrace the Possibilities of Ambient Photonics
Already, leading electronics manufacturers have begun integrating Ambient Photonics solar cells into their products. At CES 2024, visitors to the Ambient Photonics booth can get a first look at solutions from:
• Universal Electronics, makers of remote controls and other connected, smart home devices. UEI’s new ETERNA remote control platform features Ambient Photonics solar cells.
• Chicony, developers of input devices and other personal computing products. Chicony recently partnered with Ambient Photonics to power its new sustainable, wireless keyboard.
• E Ink, leaders in electronic paper technology. E Ink is working with Ambient Photonics to integrate solar cells into next-generation electronic shelf labels that are designed to help retailers improve the shopping experience.

Ambient Photonics will conduct side-by-side demonstrations of its standard and bifacial DSSC solutions, showing how Ambient-powered remote controls harvest 3X more power than legacy amorphous silicon cells and 1.5 times more power than single-sided DSSC devices.

“There’s no better way to appreciate the revolutionary potential of Ambient’s solar cell technology than to see it in action,” Marshall said. “We are already shipping cells to device manufacturers and soon everyone will enjoy the benefits of battery-free electronics.”

First Ambient Solar Cells Come to Market

In Fall 2023, Ambient Photonics made its first large-scale shipment of indoor low-light cells from its new state-of-the-art, 43,000-square-foot Fab 1 manufacturing facility in Scotts Valley, California. The mass production of Ambient cells were delivered to a global leader in control and sensing technologies for integration into a range of smart home devices.

“We are thrilled to announce the successful first shipment of products using our indoor low light solar cells,” said Marshall. “Our cutting-edge technology will play a crucial role in powering the next generation of smart home devices while contributing to a greener and more sustainable future.”

Ambient’s Fab 1 is among the world’s largest low-light solar cell manufacturing factories and the first of its kind in the U.S., capable of producing tens of millions of units a year.

It was designed and built from the ground up to be automated and sustainable with a unique fabrication process that allows it to “print” solar cells in virtually any size and shape that electronics manufacturers require.

Ambient plans to break ground on a second, U.S.-based smart manufacturing facility in 2025 to meet growing demand for its technology.

“Ambient is demonstrating every day that the United States can lead not only in groundbreaking climate technology, but also in next-gen smart manufacturing,” concluded Marshall. “We’re able to provide a revolutionary, sustainable power alternative, as well as a low-emission, intelligent production methodology that satisfies the capacity and price point requirements of the world’s highest-volume electronics manufacturers.”