ERC Industry Partnerships Lead to Innovative Advances in Low-Power Circuit Design
The NSF-funded Engineering Research Center (ERC) for Advanced Self-Powered Systems of Integrated Sensors and Technologies (ASSIST), headquartered at North Carolina State University, partnered with technology company Everactive to develop a wireless sensor. The device provides continuous monitoring of the health of rotating equipment, such as motors, pumps, fans, and compressors.
Everactive’s proprietary Eversensor monitors machine performance and detects machine faults earlier. The technology uses sensors powered exclusively from low levels of harvested energy, such as warm machine surfaces or dim indoor light, and never requires maintenance. This cost-effective approach lets operators monitor multiple machines simultaneously and helps optimize plant efficiency.
With hundreds of millions of rotating machines consuming 53% of the world’s electricity, machine failure can have significant financial consequences. By transmitting vibration, temperature, and magnetic field data to the cloud continuously, Everactive’s sensors enable machine operators to deploy limited maintenance resources only when and where they are required. Continuous monitoring also reduces machine downtime and identifies machine failure as it occurs, improving efficiency and lowering costs.
The NSF-funded Center has worked with more than 70 industry members and innovation partners to date, sponsoring research, joint development, in-kind support, and guidance on systems integration, improving technology readiness levels, and commercialization.
