Inkjet-printed "Zero-Power" Wireless Sensor and Power Management Nodes for IoT and "Smart Skin" Applications

Nanotechnology and inkjet-printed flexible electronics, sensor and power management (PMU) nodes fabricated on paper, plastic and other polymer substrates are introduced as a sustainable ultra-low-cost solution for the first paradigms of Internet of Things (IoT), "Smart Skins" and "Zero-Power" applications. The paper will cover examples from the state-of-the-art of fully integrated wireless sensor modules on paper or flexible polymers. We will demonstrate numerous 3D multilayer paper-based and LCP-based RF/Microwave Structures that include embedded energy harvesters and PMU's, that could potentially set the foundation for the truly convergent batteryless wireless Internet-of-Things networks of the future with enhanced cognitive intelligence and "zero-power" operability through ambient energy harvesting. Examples from wearable (e.g. biomonitoring) antennas and RF modules will be reported, as well as the first integration of inkjet-printed nanotechnology-based (e.g. CNT, graphene) sensors on paper and organic substrates. The talk will close with a discussion about the challenges for inkjet-printed high-complexity modules as future directions in the area of environmentally-friendly ("green") RF electronics and "smart house" conformal IoT topologies.