Drayson raises £8 million to further develop RF harvesting technology

Freevolt aims to power Internet of Things devices using recycled wireless energy

Drayson Technologies, the developer of a radio frequency (RF) harvesting technology which harnesses waves from networks such as WiFi or 4G to charge devices, has announced the completion of £8 million in funding to accelerate the product's development. 

Freevolt is a patent-pending technology developed by the company that recycles wasted RF energy from the carrier waveform of radio transmission networks in order to power low energy electrical devices such as sensors, beacons and wearables.

The startup, which was founded by former UK science minister Lord Paul Drayson, drew investment from current investors Landsdowne Partners and Oxford’s Woodford Investment Management, bringing total cash invested to £26  to date.million

The company is providing Freevolt and the associated technology stack under licence to its customers as well as developing its own products such as the recently launched CleanSpace Tag; the world’s first personal air pollution smart sensor powered by Freevolt.

The most recent round of investment will enable the company to develop and deploy Freevolt powered products in smart city, digital health and Internet of Things applications.

Drayson, chairman and chief executive, Drayson Technologies, said: “Since the launch of our Freevolt technology last year we have seen tremendous interest in its application to power the growing numbers of connected devices being deployed as the third wave of internet connectivity gathers momentum. This investment will enable us to capitalise on this opportunity and position the Company to be at the forefront of powering the Internet of Things.”