Stephen Cass: Howdy and welcome to Fixing the Future, an IEEE Spectrum podcast the place we have a look at concrete options to robust issues. I’m your host Stephen Cass, a senior editor at IEEE Spectrum. And earlier than I begin, I simply wished to inform you that you could get the newest protection of Spectrum‘s most essential beats, together with AI, climate change, and robotics, by signing up for considered one of our free newsletters. Simply go to spectrum.ieee.org/newsletters to subscribe.
All of us love our cellular units the place the progress of Moore’s Legislation has meant we’re in a position to pack an unlimited quantity of computing energy in one thing that’s sufficiently small that we will put on it as jewelery. However their Achilles heel is energy. They eat up battery life requiring frequent battery adjustments or charging. One firm that’s hoping to scale back our battery nervousness is Exeger, which desires to allow self-charging units that convert ambient gentle into power on the go. Right here to speak about its so-called Powerfoyle photo voltaic cell expertise is Exeger’s founder and CEO, Giovanni Fili. Giovanni, welcome to the present.
Giovanni Fili: Thanks.
Cass: So earlier than we get into the main points of the Powerfoyle expertise, was I proper in saying that the Achilles heel of our cellular units is battery life? And if we may cut back or eradicate that drawback, how would that really affect the event of cellular and wearable tech past simply not having to recharge as usually?
Fili: Yeah. I imply, for certain, I believe the worldwide frequent drawback or ache level is for certain battery nervousness in several methods, ranging out of your cell phone to your different moveable units, and naturally, even EV like automobiles and all that. So what we’re doing is we’re attempting to eradicate this or cut back or eradicate this battery nervousness by integrating— seamlessly integrating, I ought to say, a photo voltaic cell. So our photo voltaic cell can convert any gentle power to electrical power. So indoor, outside from any angle. We’re not angle dependent. And the photo voltaic cell can take the form. It may appear to be leather-based, textile, brushed metal, wooden, carbon fiber, nearly something, and might take gentle from all angles as effectively, and could be in several colours. It’s additionally very sturdy. So our concept is to combine this versatile, skinny movie into any machine and permit it to be self-powered, permitting for elevated performance within the machine. Simply have a look at the smartwatches. I imply, the primary one which got here, you could possibly put on them for a number of hours, and also you needed to cost them. And so they packed them with extra performance. You continue to need to cost them daily. And you continue to need to cost them daily, regardless. However now, they’re filled with much more stuff. In order quickly as you get extra power effectivity, you pack them with extra performance. So we’re enabling this kind of bounce in performance with out compromising design, battery, sustainability, all of that. So yeah, so it’s been an extended journey since I began working with this 17 years in the past.
Cass: I truly wished to ask about that. So how is Exeger positioned to assault this drawback? As a result of it’s not such as you’re the primary firm to try to do good cellular charging options for cellular units.
Fili: I can point out there, I believe that the principle factor that differentiates us from all different earlier options is that we now have invented a brand new electrode materials, the anode and the cathode with an analogous nearly like battery. So we now have anode, cathode. We have now electrolytes inside. So it is a—
Cass: So only for readers who won’t be acquainted, a battery is mainly you’ve got an anode, which is the optimistic terminal—I hope I didn’t forgot that—cathode, which is a damaging terminal, after which you’ve got an electrolyte between them within the battery, after which chemical reactions between these three parts, and it may get sort of sophisticated, produce an electrical potential between one aspect and the opposite. And in a photo voltaic cell, additionally there’s an anode and a cathode and so forth. Have I bought that proper, my little, temporary sketch?
Fili: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And so what we add to that structure is we add one layer of titanium dioxide nanoparticles. Titanium dioxide is the white in white wall paint, toothpaste, sunscreen, all that. And it’s a really secure and plentiful materials. And we use that porous layer of titanium nanoparticles. After which we deposit a dye, a shade, a pigment on this layer. And this dye could be purple, black, blue, inexperienced, any sort of shade. And the dye will then soak up the photons, excite electrons which are injected into the titanium dioxide layer after which collected by the anode after which carried out out to the cable. And now, we use the electrons to gentle the lamp or a motor or no matter we do with it. After which they flip again to the cathode on the opposite aspect and contained in the cell. So the electrons goes the opposite method and the inside method. So the plus, you possibly can say, go inside ions within the electrolytes. So it’s a regenerative system.
So our innovation is a brand new— I imply, all photo voltaic cells, they’ve electrodes to gather the electrons. In case you have silicon wafers or no matter you’ve got, proper? And you already know that each one these photo voltaic cells that you simply’ve seen, they’ve silver traces crossing the floor. The silver traces are there as a result of the conductivity is sort of poor, humorous sufficient, in these supplies. So excessive resistance. So then you have to deposit the silver traces there, and so they’re referred to as present collectors. So you have to accumulate the present. Our innovation is a brand new electrode materials that has 1,000 instances higher conductivity than different versatile electrode supplies. That permits us as the one firm on the earth to eradicate the silver traces. And we print all our layers as effectively. And as you print in your home, you possibly can print a photograph, an apple with a chew in it, you possibly can print the title, you possibly can print something you need. We will print something we wish, and it’ll even be changing gentle power to electrical power. So a photo voltaic cell.
Cass: So the important thing half is that the colour dye is doing that preliminary work of changing the sunshine. Do totally different colours have an effect on the effectivity? I did see in your website that it is available in all these sort of totally different colours, however. And I used to be considering to myself, effectively, is the black one the most effective? Is the purple one the most effective? Or is it comparatively insensitive to the seen shade that I see once I have a look at these dyes?
Fili: So that you’re fully proper there. So black would provide the most. And when you go to totally different colours, usually you lose like 20, 30 %. However happily sufficient for us, over 50 % of the buyer digital market is black merchandise. In order that’s good. So I believe that you simply requested me how we’re positioned. I imply, with our completely distinctive integration prospects, think about this tremendous skinny, versatile movie that works all day, daily from morning to sundown, indoor, outside, can appear to be leather-based. So we’ve made like a leather-based bag, proper? The leather-based bag is the photo voltaic cell. The whole bag is the photo voltaic cell. You wouldn’t see it. It simply seems like a standard leather-based bag.
Cass: So if you speak about versatile, you truly imply this— so generally when folks speak about versatile electronics, they imply it may be put right into a form, however then you definitely’re not purported to bend it afterwards. If you’re speaking about versatile electronics, you’re speaking about the complete factor stays versatile and you should use it flexibly as a substitute of simply you possibly can conform it as soon as to a form and then you definitely sort of go away it alone.
Fili: Appropriate. So we only in the near past launched a listening to protector with 3M. This nice American firm with greater than 60,000 merchandise the world over. So we now have a world exclusivity contract with them the place they’ve built-in our bendable, versatile photo voltaic movie within the headband. So the scarf is the photo voltaic cell, proper? And the place you beforehand needed to change disposable battery each second week, two batteries each second week, now you by no means want to vary the battery once more. We simply recharge this small rechargeable battery indoor and outside, simply continues to cost on a regular basis. And so they have added a variety of additional actually cool new performance as effectively. So we’re eliminating the necessity for disposable batteries. We’re saving hundreds of thousands and hundreds of thousands of batteries. We’re saving the tip consumer, the contractor, the man who makes use of them a variety of trouble to purchase this battery, retailer them. And we enhance reliability and performance as a result of they may all the time be charged. You may belief them that they all the time work. In order that’s the place we’re completely distinctive. The photo voltaic cell is tremendous sturdy. If we could be in knowledgeable listening to protector to make use of on airports, development websites, mines, no matter you employ, factories, oil rig platforms, you are able to do nearly something. So I don’t suppose some other photo voltaic cell would be capable of move these sturdiness checks that we did. It’s loopy.
Cass: So I’ve a query. It sort of it’s extra acceptable from my expertise with utility photo voltaic cells and stuff you placed on roofs. However what number of watts per sq. meter are you able to ship, we’ll say, in direct daylight?
Fili: So our focus is on oblique daylight, like shade, suboptimal gentle circumstances, as a result of that’s the place you’ll usually be with these merchandise. However when you examine to extra of a silicon, which is what you usually use for calculators and all that stuff. So we’re in all probability round twice as what they ship on this darkish circumstances, two to a few instances, relying. If you happen to use glass, when you use versatile, we’re in all probability 3 times much more, however. So we don’t do full sunshine utility scale photo voltaic. However when you have a look at these merchandise just like the listening to protector, we now have accomplished a variety of headphones with Adidas and different large manufacturers, we usually recharge like 4 instances what they use. So when you have a look at— when you go exterior, not in full sunshine, however half sunshine, let’s say 50,000 lux, you’re in all probability speaking at about 13, 14 minutes to cost one hour of listening. So yeah, so we now have bought a number of hundred thousand merchandise over the past three years after we began promoting commercially. And – I don’t know – I haven’t heard anybody who has charged since. I imply, absolutely somebody has, however usually the consumer by no means have to cost them once more, simply cost themself.
Cass: Nicely, that’s proper, as a result of for a few years, I went to CES, and I usually would purchase these, or purchase these, little photo voltaic cell chargers. And it was such a disappointing expertise as a result of they actually would solely work in direct daylight. And even then, it might take a really very long time. So I wish to speak just a little bit about, then, to get to that, what have been a number of the greatest challenges you needed to overcome on the way in which to creating this tech?
Fili: I imply, that is the fourth industrial photo voltaic cell expertise on the earth after 110 or one thing years of analysis. I imply, the Individuals, the Bell Laboratory despatched the primary silicon cell, I believe it’s in like 1955 or one thing, to area. After which there’s been this fixed improvement and looking for, however to develop a brand new power supply is as near not possible as you get, kind of. All people tried and all people failed. We didn’t know that, fortunately sufficient. So simply the whole– so when I attempt to clarify this, I get this query quite a bit. Think about you discovered one thing actually cool, however there’s nobody to ask. There’s no guide to learn. You simply notice, “Okay, I’ve to make like tons of of hundreds, possibly hundreds of thousands of experiments to be taught. And all of them, besides lastly one, they may all fail. However that’s okay.” You’ll fail, fail, fail. After which, “Oh, right here’s the answer. One thing that works. Okay. Good.” So we needed to construct on simply fixed failing, nevertheless it’s okay since you’re in a analysis part. So we needed to. I imply, we began off with this new nanomaterials, after which we needed to make parts of those supplies. After which we needed to make photo voltaic cells of the parts, however there have been no machines both. We have now needed to invent all of the machines from scratch as effectively to make these parts and the photo voltaic cells and a number of the non-materials. That was additionally robust. How do you design a machine for one thing that doesn’t exist? It’s fairly troublesome specification to provide to a machine builder. So ultimately, we needed to construct our personal machine constructing capability right here. We’re like 50 guys constructing machines, so.
However now, I imply, in the present day we now have over 300 granted patents, one other 90 that can be accepted quickly. We have now an entire machine park that’s proprietary. We at the moment are constructing the biggest photo voltaic cell manufacturing facility— one of many largest photo voltaic cell factories in Europe. It’s already operational, part one. Now we’re increasing into part two. And we’re fully vertically built-in. We don’t supply something from Russia, China; by no means did. Solely US, Japan, and Europe. We run the factories on 100% renewable power. We have now zero emissions to air and water. And we don’t have any uncommon earth metals, no unusual stuff in it. It’s prefer it all labored out. And now we now have signed, like I mentioned, world exclusivity take care of 3M. We have now a world exclusivity take care of the biggest firm on the earth on laptop peripherals, like mouse, keyboard, that stuff. They’ll solely work with us for years. We have now signed one of many giant, the large fives, the Individuals, the large CE firm. Can’t inform you but the title. We have now a globally unique deal for digital shelf labels, the small value tags within the shops. So we now have a world answer with Imaginative and prescient Group, that’s the biggest. They’ve 50 % of the world market as effectively. And so they have Walmart, IKEA, Goal, all these large firms. So now it’s taking place. So we’re rolling out, beginning to deploy large volumes later this 12 months.
Cass:So I’ll speak just a little bit about that industrial expertise since you talked about you needed to create verticals. I imply, in Spectrum, we do cowl different startups which have had these— they’re sort of ranging from scratch. And so they develop a expertise, and it’s an excellent demo expertise. However then it comes that time the place you’re attempting to combine in as a provider or as a expertise associate with a big industrial entity, which has very particular concepts and the way issues are to be manufactured and delivered and so forth. So are you able to speak just a little bit about what it was like adapting to those companions like 3M and what adjustments you needed to make and what stuff you discovered in that course of the place you go from, “Okay, we now have an excellent product and we may make our personal small merchandise, however we wish to now join in as a part of this bigger provide chain.”
Fili: It’s an excellent query and it’s extraordinarily robust. It’s a troublesome journey, proper? Wish to your level, these are the biggest firms on the earth. They’ve their method. And one of many first actually robust classes that we discovered was that one manufacturing facility wasn’t sufficient. We needed to construct two factories to have redundancy in manufacturing. As a result of single supply is unhealthy. Single supply, single manufacturing facility, that’s actually unhealthy. So we needed to construct two factories and we needed to present them we have been prepared, prepared and in a position to be a provider to them. As a result of one factor is the product, proper? However the second factor is, are you worthy provider? And meaning how a lot cash you’ve got within the financial institution. Are you going to be right here in two, three, 4 years? What’s your ISO certifications like? REACH, RoHS, Prop 65. What’s your LCA? What’s your view on this? Blah, blah, blah. Do you’ve got skilled provide chain? Did you do audits in your suppliers? However now, I imply, we’ve had audits right here by 5 of the biggest firms on the earth. We’ve all handed them. And so then you definitely qualify as a worthy provider. Then comes your product integration work, such as you talked about. And I believe it’s so much about— I imply, that’s our fundamental characteristic. The primary distinctive promoting level with Exeger is that we will combine into different folks’s merchandise. As a result of if you develop this sort of loopy technology– “Okay, so that is photo voltaic cell. Wow. Okay.” And it may appear to be something. And it really works on a regular basis. And all the opposite stuff is sustainable and all that. Which product do you go for? So I requested myself—I’m an entrepreneur because the age of 15. I’ve began plenty of firms. I misplaced a lot cash. I can’t consider it. And managed to earn just a little bit extra. However I spotted, “Okay, how do you choose? The place do you begin? Which product?”
Okay, so I sat down. I used to be like, “When does it promote effectively? When do you see market success?” When one thing is essential. When one thing is essential, it’s going to work. It’s not the most effective tech. It must be essential sufficient. After which, you want distribution and scale and all that. Okay, how have you learnt if one thing is essential? You may’t. Okay. What when you take one thing that’s already is— I imply, one thing new, you possibly can’t know if it’s going to work. But when we will combine into one thing that’s already promoting within the billions of models per 12 months, like headphones— I believe this 12 months, one billion headphones are going to be bought or one thing. Okay, apparently, clearly that’s essential for folks. Okay, let’s develop expertise that may be built-in into one thing that’s already essential and permit it to remain, maintain all the good things, the design, the burden, the thickness, all of that, even enhance the LCA higher for the surroundings. And it’s self-powered. And it’ll enable the consumer to take part and assist just a little bit to a greater world, proper? With no cost cable, no charging within the wall, much less batteries and all that. So our technique was to develop such a robust expertise in order that we may combine into these firms/companions merchandise.
Cass: So I suppose the query there’s— so that you come to an organization, the corporate has its personal inside improvement engineers. It’s bought its personal folks developing with product concepts and so forth. How do you evangelize inside an organization to say, “Look, you get within the door, you present your demo,” to say, product supervisor who’s considering of recent product traces, “You guys ought to take into consideration making merchandise with our expertise.” How do you evangelize that they suppose, “Okay, yeah, I’m going to spend the following six months of my life betting on these headphones, on this expertise that I didn’t invent that I’m sort of trusting.” How do you get that inside buy-in with the inner engineers and the inner product builders and product managers?
Fili: That’s the Holy Grail, proper? It’s very, very, very troublesome. Takes a variety of time. It’s very costly. And the purpose, I believe you’re touching just a little bit if you’re asking me now, as a result of they don’t have a man ready to purchase or a division or division ready to purchase this versatile indoor photo voltaic cell that may appear to be leather-based. They don’t have anybody. Who’s going to purchase? Who’s the choice maker? There’s not one. There’s a bunch, proper? As a result of this may have an effect on the battery folks. This can have an effect on the antenna folks. This can have an effect on the branding folks. It’ll have an effect on the mechanic folks, and many others., and many others., and many others. So there’s so many individuals that may say no. Nobody can say sure alone. All of them can say no alone. Any considered one of them can block the venture, however to proceed, all of them need to say sure. So it’s a really, very robust equation. In order that’s why after we realized this— this was one other large studying that we had that we couldn’t go together with the gross sales man. We couldn’t go together with two gross sales guys. We needed to go together with a complete staff. So we wanted to convey our design man, our branding particular person, our mechanics particular person, our software program engineer. We needed to go like large groups to have the ability to reply all of the questions and mitigate and clarify.
So we needed to go each high down and clarify to the pinnacle of product or head of sustainability, “Okay, in case you have 100 million merchandise out in 5 years and so they’re going to be utilizing 50 batteries per 12 months, that’s 5 billion batteries per 12 months. That’s not good, proper? What if we will eradicate all these batteries? That’s good for sustainability.” “Okay. Good.” “That’s additionally good for complete price. We will decrease complete price of possession.” “Okay, that’s additionally good.” “And you’ll promote this and this and this manner. And by the way in which, right here’s a story we give you. We have now additionally made some property, motion pictures, photos, texts. That is how different folks speak about this.” Nevertheless it’s a really, very robust begin. How do you get the primary large title in? And large firms, they’ve so much to danger, so much to lose as effectively. So my recommendation can be to start out smaller. I imply, we began primarily as a result of COVID, to be sincere. As a result of Sweden stayed open throughout COVID, which was nice. We lived our lives nearly like regular. However we couldn’t work with any worldwide firms as a result of they have been all closed or nobody went to the workplace. So we needed to flip to Swedish firms, and we developed a number of merchandise throughout COVID. We launched like 4 or 5 merchandise in the marketplace with smaller Swedish firms, and we launched a lot. After which we may simply ship these headphones to the massive firms and inform them, “ what? Right here’s a headphone. Use it for a number of months. We’ll name you later.” After which they name us that, “ what? We have now used them for 3 months. Nobody has charged. That is sick. It truly works.” We’re like, “Yeah, we all know.” After which that simply made it a lot simpler. And now anybody who desires to make a take care of us, they’ll simply purchase these merchandise anyplace on-line or in-store throughout the entire world and take a look at them for themselves.
And we ship them additionally samples. They’ll purchase, they’ll order from our web site, like improvement kits. We have now software program, we now have partnered up with Qualcomm, early semiconductor. All the large electronics firms, we’re now certified companions with them. So all of the electronics is highly effective already. So now it’s very straightforward now to construct prototypes if you wish to take a look at one thing. We have now places of work the world over. So now it’s a lot simpler. However my recommendation to anybody who would wish to begin with that is try to get a number of prospects in. The essential factor is that in addition they care concerning the venture. If we go to considered one of these giant firms, 3M, they’ve 60,000 merchandise. If they’ve 60,001, yeah. However for us, it’s like the venture. And we now have managed to land it in a method. So it’s additionally essential for them now as a result of it simply touches so a lot of their essential areas that they work with, so.
Cass: So by way of future instructions for the expertise, do you’ve got a improvement pathway? What sort of future milestones are you hoping to hit?
Fili: For certain. So in the intervening time, we’re specializing in consumer electronics market, IoT, good residence. So I believe the following large factor would be the good office the place you see large development websites and different areas the place we join the employees, something from the good helmet. You get hit in your head, how arduous was it? I imply, why can’t we inform you that? That’s simply ridiculous. There’s all these sensors already accessible. Somebody simply must energy the helmet. Location companies. Is the appropriate particular person in the appropriate place with the correct coaching or not? On the development aspect, do you’ve got the coaching to work with dynamite, for instance, or heavy lifts or totally different stuff? So you possibly can add the geofencing in several websites. You may add well being knowledge, digital well being monitoring, pulse, respiration, temperature, totally different stuff. Compliance, after all. Are you following all the principles? Are you sporting your helmet? Is the helmet buttoned? Are you sporting the correct different gear, no matter it’s? In any other case, you possibly can’t begin your engine, or you possibly can’t go into this website, or you possibly can’t no matter. I believe that’s going to significantly enhance the proactive security and well being so much and enhance earnings for employers so much too on the similar time. In a number of years, I believe we’re going to see the American unions are going to be our greatest gross sales pressure. As a result of after they see the greatness of this entire system, they’re going to demand it in all tenders, all greatest tasks. They’re going to say, “Hey, we wish to have the related employee security stuff right here.” As a result of you possibly can simply stream– when you’re working, you possibly can stream music, speak to your colleagues, take pleasure in related security with out invading the privateness, figuring out that you simply’re good. If you happen to fall over, when you faint, when you get a coronary heart assault, no matter, in a number of seconds, the appropriate folks will know and they’re going to take their acceptable actions. It’s simply actually, actually cool, these things.
Cass: Nicely, it’ll be attention-grabbing to see how that seems. However I’m afraid that’s all we now have time for in the present day, though that is fascinating. However in the present day, so Giovanni, I wish to thanks very a lot for approaching the present.
Fili: Thanks a lot for having me.
Cass: So in the present day we have been speaking with Giovanni Fili, who’s Exeger’s founder and CEO, about their new versatile powerfoyle photo voltaic cell expertise. For IEEE Spectrum‘s Fixing the Future, I’m Stephen Cass, and I hope you’ll be part of me subsequent time.