Over the years, the number of IoT devices is growing substantially and has caused a kind of “dependence” of mankind on batteries. It is a well-known fact that batteries are very harmful to the environment, and over time these impacts can become unrecoverable.
What exactly are the “big issues” in the IoT world?
Replacing the battery when it is hard to reach or even out of reach is a blot on the IoT picture. This fact is not only a disadvantage of some IoT technologies, which reduces the performance and efficiency of the device but also raises a huge environmental threat.
Why?
When a non-rechargeable battery has exhausted its charge, and it is inaccessible for replacement, it begins a new “stage of life”, namely the release of toxic substances into the environment. This is the big environmental issue of the emitted toxic substances of batteries and accumulators, after the expiry of their service life.
How engineers are trying to solve this problem, is it possible?
Yes, it is possible to solve this problem. At scientific conferences, this topic is touched upon more and more, and new technologies are being developed to collect energy in more environmentally friendly ways. There are already several technologies that will use energy from the battery at a minimal and strive not to use batteries at all.
One of the challenges that comes with design services is the cyclical nature of the services business. When the economy tightens and corporates are watching their operational expenses, the first step will be to halt any external contracts/contractors which are not deemed absolutely essential.
Whereas the earlier (staircase) model is a good approach in scaling up revenue and creating new revenue streams, the foundation of the company is still based on the service model: headcount continues to be the main driver (typically up to 60-70% of revenue). In terms of (enterprise) valuation the additional revenue streams, however, will already make a significant difference.
Design services companies typically start small (some exceptions when it concerns management buy-outs) and natural growth is a slow process as it requires hiring and training of engineers based on/driven by the revenue stream of the company. Growth of business is tied to growing the team and it is not always easy to find the engineers.