Impact

The widespread introduction of wearable devices is expected to be one of the major trends in the next one or two decades. Wearables will generate completely new opportunities for sensing (e.g. vital parameter monitoring), mobile data storage, wireless communication and internet of things. Apart from legal topics, like e.g. data security, there are also technological bottlenecks. Today, design and appearance are significantly limited by given geometries of state-of-the-art components. Therefore, making devices thinner, safer, flexible and easy to integrate are major goals of current research and development activities. Presently various obstacles still hinder the expected rapid development. The energy supply to wearable devices is probably the most serious challenge among these technological bottlenecks.

Smart2Go addresses this technical challenge. The special feature of Smart2Go is the standardization of the interfaces within the platform. This will enable manufacturers to easily adapt it to various different application. Smart2Go project will integrate several technologies (energy harvesting, energy storage, and energy management) in one modular platform, where the different components (OPV, TE cells, supercapacitors) and functionalities, (piezo sensors, lighting technologies) can be easily replaced to serve many different applications in the area of flexible and wearable electronics. The Smart2Go energy supply platform will have an impact to a wide range of industries and product use cases. Further industrial exploitation potential will be identified through linking additional applications via the Smart2Go design contest and support from the external advisory board members.