For over 50 years, the Consumer Electronics Show has stood tall as the largest tech conference that brings together different companies to showcase their latest technologies. This year again there are many expectations from CES 2022 when it comes to tech and innovation changing our lives for the better.
After, releasing an Eco Remote at CES 2021 that stores solar energy to recharge the internal battery, Korean tech giant Samsung has revamped the solar-charging remote again this year. Along with using light to top up the battery, Samsung claims that the latest Eco Remote can convert the router’s radio waves into energy to stay fully charged.
Tapping into radio waves from the router to charge the battery is a rather intelligent technique since the energy from routers goes to waste otherwise. Several other companies have tapped into radio frequency (RF) harvesting over the past few years, though the approach seems best suited to low-power devices such as TV remotes.
The back of the Eco remote houses a solar panel and it has dedicated buttons for streaming apps like Netflix, Disney+, and Prime Video. The remote itself is made of recycled materials, which aligns well with Samsung’s sustainability efforts.
Previously, Samsung experimented with other techniques to ditch AAA batteries. These included self-charging the internal battery through kinetic energy when the remote is shaken and even using the vibrational energy that’s created when the microphone picks up sounds.
Unlike last year’s black variant, this year the Eco remote will be available in white as well to match the look of Samsung’s lifestyle TVs.
