While the OPPO Find N2 Flip appeared at Mobile World Congress 2023, what caught our eye is a new concept gadget that makes it easy to track lost objects. The OPPO Zero-Power Tag is the brand’s first prototype of this kind of product. And it gets a leg up on similar devices like the Apple AirTag—it doesn’t need batteries to run.
In a whitepaper published last year, it’s one of the devices OPPO revealed that can work without batteries. The Zero-Power Tag looks like a visitor’s identification card now. But OPPO thinks it could come in sticker form in the future. And it works using technologies like low-power processing, radio frequency signal harvesting, and backscattering.
The OPPO Zero-Power Tag generates electricity for itself by collecting ambient RF energy from the surrounding area. It can get it from cellular base stations, FM radio and TV towers, and more. Wi-Fi access points could be used to charge similar devices.
The device can backscatter or transmit signals outward by modulating incoming radio signals with its own data. Beyond this, it will rely on already-existing networks to pick it up and make connections.
Aside from working as an object tracker, the OPPO Zero-Power Tag can gather temperature and humidity data. And because of this device’s lower environmental impact, OPPO envisions using it for things like monitoring migratory animals and birds for more efficient, long-distance tracking.
The OPPO Zero-Power Tag is still a concept for now, but it’s something we hope to see in stores in the future.
Now, if we were to pick up an object tracker, one that has a lesser environmental impact is definitely an attractive option. That made it easy to name this as the Cool Tech for this week!