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March 24, 2003 — EnOcean GmbH is reinventing the light switch. The Siemens AG spinoff makes a battery-free power source for low-energy products like its radio signal generator that wirelessly turns lights on and off.
It’s competing with existing wireless light switches like those made by Dutch home automation firm Marmitek BV, which take power from the grid or batteries. But what sets EnOcean’s switch apart is the way it gets the power: A piezoelectric unit converts the force of a finger pressing on it into enough energy to emit the radio signal to a remote receiver unit in the base of the light.
Original equipment manufacturers and customers in the building automation and lighting manufacturing industries, such as Paul Hochkopper GmbH, WAGO Kontacttechnik GmbH, Thermokon and the Belgian firm Niko, are integrating various combinations of EnOcean’s low-energy wireless technology or piezo power systems into new products, according to Andreas Schneider, EnOcean’s co-founder and vice president of sales.
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The company is on schedule for production, according to Jorg Ueberla, managing partner at Wellington Partners Venture Capital GmbH. Last year, a syndicate of institutional investors, including enjoyventure Management GmbH, Wellington Partners, BayTech and Siemens Venture Capital committed $5 million to the firm that employed only six people at the time.
The moneymen are interested in the startup because they believe the lighting application is just one of many that EnOcean can exploit with its numerous patents in piezoelectric power systems and radio frequency integration.
“It is not often a VC gets a chance to invest in a technology that could end up in every household,” Ueberla said.
The piezoelectric effect implemented in this light switch is already enabling a number of small tech products, including MEMS sensors, micromachined acoustic-wave liquid ejectors for printer inkjets, mixers for microfluidic systems, ultraminiaturized hearing aids and microcantilever arrays for projection displays.
In addition, most atomic force microscopes are driven by piezo devices because they help AFMs achieve the very small and precise range of motion they require. Laser tracking and pointing devices also use piezo elements for superprecise positioning, as does nPoint Inc. in its nanopositioning instruments.
Thomas Abraham, senior analyst at Business Communications Company Inc., a market research firm, said in a 2001 report that piezoelectric technologies were experiencing “booming demand” due to a revolution in wireless and wireline communications.
In the short term, EnOcean expects to generate revenue from wireless temperature sensors and batteryless remote auto keys. For the U.S. market, it plans to make tire pressure sensors that report to a dashboard control unit. Such units would see the piezo generators take their energy from the rolling motion of the tires.
“It’s a very sexy and scalable technology with many possible uses in different sectors, including automotive, the shipbuilding industry and industry automation,” said Wolfgang Lubert, managing partner at enjoyventures in Munich. Lubert also likes the fact that the Siemens corporate venture fund is on board, which means the startup gets sales support from several Siemens units.
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Company file: EnOcean GmbH
(last updated March 24, 2003)
Company
EnOcean GmbH
Headquarters
Kolpingring 18a
D-82041 Oberhaching
Germany
History
Created in October 2001, EnOcean is a spinoff from Siemens AG, where its key technology was developed.
Industry
Wireless communications, energy
Employees
15
Small tech-related products and services
EnOcean has developed wireless, battery-free radio transmitter and receiver modules that function using changes in the environment. Flipping a toggle, changing heat levels or increasing light all serve to generate energy that can be used for low-level radio transmissions. Customers for EnOcean switches and sensors include automotive suppliers, system integrators and industrial automation equipment manufacturers. Potential applications for the technology could extend into medical products, scientific research and visual displays.
Management
Selected strategic partners and customers
Investment history
In February 2002, EnOcean closed a $4.35 million first round of funding that included contributions from BayTech Venture Capital, enjoyventure Management GmbH, Siemens Venture Capital and Wellington Partners Venture Capital GmbH (round leader).
Competitors
Goals
“To use the power of unused energy to provide innovative, wireless and maintenance-free sensor and switch applications,” said Jorg Ueberla, managing partner.
Why they’re in small tech
“We have an entrepreneurial mind-set and we saw a huge market opportunity for our innovation,” Ueberla said.
What keeps them up at night “Coffee prepared on our new cappucino machine financed by winning the Bavarian Innovation Award in 2002,” said Andreas Schneider, sales manager.
Contact
— Research by Gretchen McNeely