Nikola Labs has completed the qualification of its INDRA wireless power receiving chip, making it easier for the company to bring its wireless products in the market. The INDRA wireless chip features best in class sensitivity and high efficiency, effective for Internet of things (IoT) applications, including sensors and low power edge devices.
The tiny chip, which measures 5.6mm x 3mm x 0.8mm – less than 1/16 the size of a penny – is a miniaturized version of Nikola Labs’ highly efficient radio frequency to direct current (RF to DC) energy harvesting circuitry, which is at the heart of Nikola Labs’ wireless power solutions. The chip was developed in collaboration with Texas Instruments and Skyworks Solutions, and includes technology from both companies. The collaboration with these companies, enables Nikola Labs to deliver wireless power solutions at scale. INDRA was specifically designed to power Internet of things (IoT) devices, such as industrial sensors, that with the addition of wireless power can provide uninterrupted data without the need to ever change batteries.
Qualification of INDRA included thorough testing at Nikola Labs’ engineering facilities in Westerville, Ohio to verify sensitivity to RF signals and performance. In these tests, the chip performed very well, showing excellent sensitivity, producing power at -15 dBm, and high efficiency. Current chips on the market require twice the input power (-12 dBm). The sample chips provided by Skyworks passed all qualifying tests and have now been approved for scale manufacturing, which will begin in May or June of this year.
