The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games were designed with sustainability in mind, guided by the concept: “Be better, together – for the planet and the people.” The five main pillars of this plan were: use renewable energy wherever possible; reduce, reuse and recycle; protect the natural environment; protect human rights; and contribute to a more diverse and inclusive society. There was a lot of discussion online about one particular eco-friendly initiative from the Games, the decision to provide athletes with beds made from recycled cardboard. Overall, the sustainability measures that Tokyo 2020 put in place are commendable and a great model for future events. At the same time, it’s also worthwhile to consider how the Olympics could become even more green and less wasteful, taking sustainability to the next level.
One of the most overlooked types of waste is battery waste. With the explosion of the IoT around the world, billions of batteries are consumed every year and end up getting tossed away in landfills. Energy harvesting offers a much more sustainable solution for connected devices, whether they are in use at the Olympics, industrial environments (e.g. factories), enterprises (e.g. corporate campuses) or at home. Energy harvesting works by pulling power from ambient sources including photovoltaic (light), RF power, kinetic and thermal energy sources. This type of energy harvesting can significantly extend the battery life of connected devices, and for some IoT applications energy harvesting can even provide enough power so that batteries aren’t needed at all. Below are a few of the interesting ways that future Olympic Games can use IoT devices with energy harvesting to further their sustainability efforts.
Contact tracing technology
With the surge of COVID-19 cases during this year’s Olympics, it’s no surprise that the event organizers put in place strict protocols to help keep athletes safe. One of these protocols was that athletes in the Olympic Village were required to use contract tracing technology so that they would be alerted, in real-time, if they came into close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19. While it’s difficult to predict what the COVID-19 situation will be in the coming years, it’s likely that future Olympic Games will still use COVID-19 contract tracing systems, even if other safety measures like masks are not required.
Wrist bands, beacons and sensors are a few types of devices that the Olympics can leverage for contact tracing systems for future games. Wearables are relatively low-cost, lightweight and comfortable for all-day wear, making them an ideal choice for athletes and coaches moving about the village or between venues. While these types of wearables have traditionally been battery-powered, new advancements have made it possible for these devices to use energy harvesting to deliver forever battery life and cut down on battery waste.
Locationing beacons
Future Olympic games will likely use locationing devices to help fans navigate around the stadiums and other venues. While most people rely on their smartphone’s GPS for navigating on the road, it’s not precise enough to be helpful for navigating around stadiums, especially if people are walking indoors. Bluetooth 5 locationing beacons can help solve this problem by sending signals to fans’ smartphones as they are navigating around a stadium. Energy harvesting can enable these beacons to be totally battery-free, potentially preventing thousands of batteries from going into landfills. An added benefit is that battery-free devices require less maintenance which translates into cost savings for the event organizers.
Robot assistants
The Tokyo 2020 Olympics featured a fleet of robots ready to assist athletes with everything from getting directions to carrying luggage. Additionally, remote-controlled versions of the official mascots, Miraitowa and Someity, were at the venues, though COVID-19 curbed plans for them to interact with spectators. Interactive robots will likely continue to play a role in future events, and there’s a good chance that they will use energy harvesting to extend their battery life. Since these robots might be powered on for hours at a time, energy harvesting can help ensure their batteries last longer so they do not need to be constantly charged or replaced.
What’s next
It’s exciting to think about how future Olympic host cities will carry the torch of sustainability. The organizing committee for Beijing 2022 has already promised to host “green, open, inclusive and clean” Games, and all of its venues will be powered by renewable energy. I hope that Beijing 2022 and future Olympic Games will integrate energy harvesting whenever possible to help mitigate battery waste, while also raising awareness around this important issue as part of their larger sustainability efforts.
By David Su
