Powering the Future with Motion: How Gemns™ Energy Harvesting is Changing the Game

April 14, 2025

In a world increasingly dependent on wireless technology, the biggest challenge remains the same: power. Batteries require maintenance, wiring limits design flexibility, and both create long-term waste. At WePower Technologies, we’ve developed a solution — Gemns™ energy harvesting technology. Gemns patented technology generates power on demand using nothing but motion. Capable of generating more than 30x more power than other energy harvesting systems, Gemns is in a unique position to replace batteries in devices that were previously unattainable for energy harvesters.

How Gemns Energy Harvesting Works

At its core, Gemns energy harvesting technology converts small mechanical motions—such as pressing a button, flipping a switch, or sliding a control—into usable electrical energy. This energy is immediately used to power a radio frequency (RF) system on chip (SOC) to send wireless transmissions, such as a Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Thread, Matter, or other RF signal, enabling devices to function without batteries or wired connections.

The process happens in milliseconds and is infinitely repeatable. Every time a user activates a Gemns-powered device, the energy harvesting generator (EHG) captures mechanical energy, converts it into electrical power, cold-boots the RF-SOC, assesses the condition, generates a data packet, and transmits a signal. This eliminates the need for external power sources while ensuring reliable and maintenance-free operation.

As the technology requires only motion, it is ideal for applications where batteries are impractical, costly to replace, or environmentally unsustainable and the motion that generates the energy is related to the event to be reported.  Examples are vibration monitoring, industrial and residential push buttons and switches, and energy-release based sensors such as water leak detectors.

The Gemns Energy Harvesting Lineup

WePower Technologies has developed a range of EHGs to meet different application needs. Each model is optimized for specific types of motion and energy output.  Each of the three base models should be considered as an example that can be scaled up by at least 10x in energy and down at least 4x to offer a flexible size-weight-cost vs. energy tradeoff.  Each of these may be paired with a family of harvesting circuits and used to power a wide variety of loads.  These include – but are not limited to – RF SOCs for wireless IoT applications.

Gemns G100: Industrial-Grade Push Button

The G100 is a highly durable, wireless push button for industrial applications. Tested to over 1 million activations, this device was the first proof of concept for the Gemns technology, demonstrating how motion-based energy harvesting can replace traditional power sources.

Key Features

• Generates power from button presses and other one-way, linear motion.
• Tested for over a million activations, ensuring durability.
• Future applications include automotive interfaces, military distress signals, and industrial machinery.
• Over 7mJ raw energy and over 3.5mJ regulated energy over a range of voltages and load currents.

Gemns G200: High-Power Energy Harvesting for IoT

The G200 is the most powerful EHG in the Gemns lineup, capable of generating a larger energy output for applications that require more power. Initially designed for safety and limit switches in industrial environments, the G200 is ideal for applications where reliability and robustness are essential.

Key Features

• Produces a higher energy output than the G100, yielding over 8mJ of raw energy and over 4.5mJ of regulated energy.
• Rotational generator is able to sense the direction of initial motion (ON/OFF switches)
  • can be driven by bidirectional or unidirectional linear motion.
  • can be driven by rotational sources.
  • can be wound, retained, and released.
• Designed for demanding applications in industrial automation and IoT.
• Enables wireless operation of safety sensors, access controls, and high-energy IoT systems.
• The small form factor allows integration into limitless applications.

Gemns G300: Wireless Slide Switch for Smart Homes

The G300 is a high-output, low-force activation EHG optimized for consumer electronics. Its slide-switch mechanism allows for smoother operation while generating enough energy to transmit a wireless signal. This makes it well-suited for lighting control, smart home devices, and new forms of IoT interactions.

Key Features

• Generates power with a sliding motion, requiring less force than traditional switches.
• Designed for consumer applications, including lighting controls and smart home automation.
• Future potential in innovative activation methods for IoT products.

Real-World Applications of Gemns Technology

Gemns energy harvesting technology is suitable for application in any industry, replacing batteries and wired connections where a motion is performed. Some of our reference products demonstrate the capabilities of the technology.

Wireless Battery-free Leak Detector

The leak detector is a unique product powered by the G200 that is preloaded with energy from a sliding magnetic tray. A liquid-soluble strip holds the detector in the activated position until a leak triggers it to release its energy immediately.  The energy is recovered and regulated, providing enough energy for the demanding security and transmit powers of Z-wave LR and other protocols of smart home networks. This allows for battery-free operation, that will never degrade and is guaranteed to work at the moment of a leak event, whether a day, a year, or a decade from activation.

Wireless Light Controller

A lighting controller based on Zigbee Green Power Device (GPD) can also be powered by the G200, allowing users to control lights wirelessly without batteries or wiring. In fact, the G200 has excessive energy for simple light switches and this application is ripe for a scaled down model.  G300 is also suitable for this application.  Wireless and battery-free operation enables quick installation and greater flexibility, particularly in smart homes and office environments. As batteries in lighting controllers are set to be outlawed in Europe, and consumers the world overlook for a more sustainable solution to batteries, this technology will be a game-changer.

Door Sensor

A security sensor using the G200 or G300 to monitor door movements. The sensor generates power every time the door opens or closes and sends alerts wirelessly without requiring an external power source. Its unique bi-directional functionality is capable of not only notifying of door movements but also recording the status of the door being open or closed.

Vibration Sensor

A variation of the G100 has been used to harvest energy from vibration – e.g. motors, engines, pumps, and transmissions – and use that energy to measure and report the vibration signature.  Continuous asset monitoring of vibration can offer early prediction of bearing failure and other issues.  Scheduled predictive maintenance can dramatically reduce industrial down time and maintenance costs and prevent potentially dangerous catastrophic failures.

Why Energy Harvesting is the Future

Traditional power sources such as batteries and wired connections limit the scalability and sustainability of IoT and wireless devices. Gemns technology addresses these challenges by providing a self-sustaining power solution that offers multiple benefits:

• No Battery Replacements – Reduces maintenance costs and improves device longevity
• Eliminates Wiring – Enables flexible installations in locations where running power is difficult or impractical
• Eco-Friendly – Reduces electronic waste by eliminating disposable batteries
• Scalable for IoT – Allows for seamless integration into industrial, automotive, and smart home applications

The Future of Motion-Based Power

At WePower Technologies, we believe the future of wireless power is energy harvesting. With the Gemns lineup, we are working with partners to integrate self-powered solutions into next-generation products across multiple industries.