Marubun and Ossia Combine Forces to Develop Wireless Power Sensor Receiver for Broad Applications

Written by Ossia Inc. | Dec 2, 2021 2:31:50 PM

Ossia announces that Marubun will leverage its flagship wireless power technology, Cota, to develop an IoT sensor receiver that can be embedded within a wide variety of electronic devices.

REDMOND, Wash., Dec. 2, 2021 -- /PRNewswire/ -- Ossia Inc., the company that created Cota® Real Wireless Power™, and Marubun Corporation, which provides total solutions in the semiconductor and electronics business, today jointly announced that they will leverage Ossia's patented wireless-power-over-air technology to create IoT sensor receivers that can be used to automatically power many kinds of devices, from inventory trackers and headsets to digital signage and wearables.

The Cota-enabled IoT sensors will be able to receive power at a distance, without the need for line-of-sight, and will have communication capabilities.

To start, the Cota Power Receiver for IoT will be built on Ossia's 2.4GHz wireless power system, with the 5.8GHz system to follow. Once embedded into the end devices, the wirelessly powered sensors can be managed remotely through the cloud-based Cota IoT Platform. This sensor, using the Cota technology and Marubun's product development, will be the first of its kind to be designed and integrated into many types of IoT devices, without the need for a retrofit stage.

"There are so many ways Cota can be leveraged for so many different kinds of devices. To date, we have seen successful applications within commercial products such as ESLs and commercial truck trackers," says Doug Stovall, CEO of Ossia. "With this new development and partnership with Marubun, even more companies will be able to bypass a 'retrofitting' step and seamlessly build the Cota Power Receiver for IoT right in to the device itself. This will save on costs and one-off experimentation, and offer a shortcut to market."

With any new technology, retrofitting is a common bridge between a currently marketed product and a new product with the technology built in. But retrofits, such as adapters and power sleeves, can be costly, cumbersome, and take extra time to build and distribute. The Cota Power Receiver for IoT was developed to help bypass these obstacles.

"The Cota system is stable, resilient, and scalable," says Satoshi Fujino, Senior V.P. of Marubun. "To bring it to fruition more rapidly, we saw an opportunity to leverage Cota wireless power technology for a sensor that can be integrated within many types of IoT devices. Developing for one device at a time is not economical, nor wise, when a single wireless power sensor can be applied to so many different types of devices, from commercial and retail to industrial and medical."

Cota enables devices to receive power without user intervention, charging pads, plugging in, or batteries. It can deliver power at a distance to multiple devices simultaneously, while supporting a high level of quantity and frequency of updates, such as might be required with a digital display. It can also safely deliver power while the device is in motion. The Cota Power Receiver for IoT is designed to be:

Cost effective
Easy to use
Easy to integrate
Easy to customize through Marubun

"Marubun is uniquely suited to develop the Cota sensor due to its long-standing history and experience in the electronics space and its well established, end-to-end development processes. We are excited for this next step for Cota," says Stovall. "It should benefit not only many businesses, but also the millions of employees who use the wirelessly powered devices."

Fujino says, "We are especially excited to see how our customers leverage the online Cota management platform offered by Ossia. Managing hundreds or even thousands of devices remotely can have exponential benefits for our customers and partners."

The Cota Power Receiver for IoT is expected to be available through Marubun for limited distribution as early as Q1 2022, with a full release in Q2 2022. For more information on integrating the Cota Power Receiver for IoT into your electronic devices, contact either Ossia or Marubun.

About Marubun

MARUBUN CORPORATION distributes cutting-edge semiconductors, electronic components, electronic equipment and other domestic and foreign electronics products, and provides total solutions in the electronics business from marketing to technology support and delivery. Marubun is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, and publicly traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Based on past performance and expertise, Marubun has become a trusted business partner.

About Ossia

Ossia Inc. is leading the world on what is possible with wireless power. Ossia's flagship Cota® technology redefines wireless power by safely delivering remote, targeted energy to devices at a distance. Ossia's Cota technology is a patented smart antenna technology that automatically keeps multiple devices charged without any user intervention and enables an efficient and truly wire-free, powered-up world that is always on and always connected. Ossia is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington. Visit our website at www.ossia.com.