NuCurrent and Infineon partner on smart lock, energy harvesting technology

Infineon Technologies AG, Munich Germany, is bringing on NuCurrent, Chicago IL, a global player in wireless power systems, as an Infineon Preferred Partner. This partnership will advance the capabilities and scalability of Near-Field Communication (NFC) technology for energy harvesting and charging applications. Infineon’s NFC tag-side controllers with integrated H-bridge and energy harvesting modules offer a single-chip solution for developing cost-effective, miniaturized actuation or sensing applications operating in passive or active mode. The partnership will incorporate NuCurrent’s overall wireless power systems technology and design capabilities to expand the market via OEMs.

The joint offering of NuCurrent and Infineon will transform a broad swath of applications, particularly locks in industrial, office, and hospital settings. Source: Infineon

“NFC wireless energy harvesting and charging are game-changing technologies from various perspectives: product design, environmental sustainability, and user experience,” said Jacob Babcock, CEO of NuCurrent. “NFC is in billions of devices today, but the capabilities of energy harvesting are expanding such that it’ll deliver entirely new features to product developers. We are excited to join Infineon on this journey.”

“Infineon and NuCurrent are bringing together complementary capabilities that are paving the way for new solutions eliminating batteries in locks, sensors, and other applications via contactless energy transfer,” said Doris Keitel-Schulz, Vice President of Contactless Power and Sensing at Infineon. “We are providing a reliable, low-maintenance, and secure replacement to batteries that significantly reduces e-waste. Our energy harvesting technology via mobile phone NFC field enables the digitalization of the passive world and connecting them into the mobile phone ecosystem.”

Allow OEMs a faster go-to-market

The Preferred Partnership launches with a focus on Infineon’s Energy Harvesting actuator and sensing ICs. With NuCurrent and Infineon technology, devices will implement optimized, contactless access and entry, eliminating or minimizing the need for batteries in many applications. NuCurrent’s advanced design tools enable IP and development services which allow OEMs a faster go-to-market.

The joint offering will transform a broad swath of applications, particularly locks in industrial, office, and hospital settings. The solution provides greater convenience, flexibility, and user experience, while simultaneously cutting the costs for key management in private and commercial properties. For sensor applications, the partnership enables entirely new categories of applications where sensors do not require batteries and are triggered by NFC energy harvesting. A smart lock with energy harvesting features will be showcased at CES this week.