Towards Self-Powered Internet of Underwater Things Devices

Abstract

Exploiting light beams to carry information and deliver power is mooted as a potential technology to recharge batteries of future generation Internet of things (IoT) and Internet of underwater things (IoUT) devices while providing optical connectivity. Simultaneous lightwave information and power transfer (SLIPT) has been recently proposed as an efficient way for wireless power transfer between communicating terminals. In this article, we provide an overview of the various SLIPT techniques in time, power, and space domains. We additionally demonstrate two SLPIT scenarios through underwater channels. Moreover, we discuss the open issues related to the hardware as well as system deployment in harsh environments.