The most effective integrated light-harvesting and storing system in the world has been created by a historic multinational partnership headed by Newcastle University. It will fuel independent AI at the frontier of IoT.

A revolutionary move toward intelligent, sustainable infrastructure is being ushered in by the technology, which was published in the journal Energy & Environmental Science. It creates a platform for next-generation smart sensors and gadgets that doesn't require batteries or maintenance.

A novel three-terminal photocapacitor, which combines a high-efficiency hybrid photovoltaic, a molecularly designed supercapacitor, and environmentally friendly chitosan membranes made from mushrooms, is the basis of this innovation.

Under normal indoor lighting, this little device achieves a record photocharging voltage of 0.9 V and an overall charging efficiency of 18%, allowing IoT networks and edge AI to run continuously without the need for batteries. In practical experiments, the platform outperformed commercial silicon modules by a factor of 3.5 in throughput, achieving 93% accuracy on image recognition tasks at a mere 0.8 mJ per inference.

The idea has been simmering for nearly ten years, combining everything from basic molecular engineering to cutting-edge AI applications, according to Professor Marina Freitag, chair of energy, Royal Society University Research Fellow, Newcastle University, who co-conceived and oversaw the project.

With over 30 billion IoT devices expected by 2030, one of the key challenges in technology and sustainability is how to power ubiquitous, wireless, smart systems without the need for hazardous batteries or a grid connection.