In the world of tomorrow everything is connected through the Internet of Things (we both know that). But we are building this world today. And today is finally the day you don’t need batteries anymore. Thanks to Tryst Light Energy patent pending technology. #EnergyHarvesting

For all Press, check here for a press kit or contacts!

Metro - “Eureka! Solar energy cells of the size of a stamp that makes batteries obsolete.”

Bright - “With these sensors IoT-devices are connected with very little light and no more batteries.”

Numrush - “Now IoT is getting more and more mainstream, it seems we are going to need a lot of batteries in the near future. That’s really bad for our planet and really irritating. With Tryst you will never need a battery again."

SXSW - Together with New Dutch Wave, we'll be on SXSW (Austin, Texus) between March 11th and 17th. Visit us for a live demo or come to the SXSW Tradeshow (New Dutch Wave). Interviews can be done live on the spot :-).

Imagine charging your sensors with only 200 lux Light Energy in 4 hours (which is nothing) and connect them for 24 hours (which is amazing). This is less light than you'll find under your desk. Sunlight is about 130.000 lux and daylight lies around 13.000 lux. Tryst Energy is about removing the elephant in the room nobody is talking about, in other words: getting rid of the battery that needs to be charged / replaced / maintained. Hello always-online and zero-maintenance. Energy harvesting, but with technology that really works. Today.





The Light Energy module is engineered to be extremely efficient. The sweet spot is in low light conditions, which sets it apart from all other 'solar energy' modules you might already know. It's much smaller than the typical solar panel and high endurance batteries.

Demo time! Have a look at the Tryst Movement Edition next to the beta version of the app. To show you it works, and of course with light :-).



So that's light energy. But how can it work, even when there is no light? Daniël, our actual rocket scientist, explains: You start by using solely super low energy hardware. The Light Energy module is completely re-engineered with it's power management system to have ludicrous efficiency in low light conditions. Secondly we use a technology that is renown as a 'super capacitor' - which sounds really spectacular if you don't know what it is.

Our SuperCap shines (pun intended) at storing and deploying small amounts of energy super fast with little to no wear. You can use it for tens of thousands of cycles before it wears out (normal use 75-100 years). And it's really small, just about a centimeter.

So that's why we can say: batteries, not anymore.

We know that we are not going to replace the batteries in your car anytime soon (sorry Elon). We also know that thanks to ultra-efficient hardware and software it is possible to run a IoT-sensor for 3-5 years with a battery. Exactly those products can go easily without, for instance with our light energy module. And today we've created 3 products to demonstrate you how it works.

All three products share the basics: - Easy to program

You don't need to be a highly educated coder or engineer to get started. Everyone should be able to use our "developer editions" we offer on Kickstarter. You can use the standard Arduino IDE with a micro USB cable or unlock the full potential by using the mBed programming environment. Both are supported and documented!

- Light Energy

They all have the same Light Energy module built-in. There is no off switch, it's truly wireless. That's why installation is dead simple (place and forget) and because there is no battery to replace - you don't have maintenance, downtime or get a headache anytime soon.

- Connectivity

They all come with either a Bluetooth 4.2 or a LoRaWAN radio module. We will ask you after the kickstarter which radio you prefer. The pricing is the same. To interact with the modules, an app will be released for the Bluetooth module, while the LoraWan will be preconfigured to work with The Things Network. More info below.

Try using it to measure air pollution on street level.

The World Health Organization estimated that a staggering 7 million people died due to air pollution in 2012. Why do we accept bad air quality when there are plenty of alternative ways to produce and consume? With our TVOC Air Quality engine (CO₂) you can keep track of air quality in your street. For your kids, for you and eventually for everyone.

Try using it as a sensor under your office chair

In your office there are only flexible working spots. But how do you know if one is taken or where to find the ones that are free? Tryst Movement Edition. And you can see if people are moving enough, send them a push notification if they have to stand up once in a while or if they are seated incorrectly.

If you really want, you can even check if you're colleague is in the building on the chair level thanks to the iBeacon-technology.

This is where you come in

We've built this technology for you to hack it and do with it whatever you want. So the DEV edition is made for everyone that wants to make a IoT-device without ever having to think about batteries. Remember that business case that didn't work out because of the maintenance costs? You can do it now.

All that in one very good looking case (if we may say so ourselves), tailor made for your next major project. Adding Wi-Fi, Zigbee or any other communications standard is also up to you. If you're a little experienced it's done in a few seconds.

If you choose the Bluetooth LE-version, then you can use the Tryst app to receive the data from your device (and forward it to a webhook). Our app is super simple to use and obviously connects through Bluetooth.

We will add support to IFTTT as well. To extend the temperature sensor of your thermostat for example. You could even use iBeacon technology to turn on the lights instantly when you get home. Or use the sensor data of the Movement Edition when you sit down in your chair to turn on the heating and lighting and turning them off when you leave. Let the internet work for you.

LoRaWAN is short for Long Range Wide Area Network. 'LoRa' is developed to work only with IoT devices which needs best in class battery life.

And to make use of this awesome technology we offer you the choice between BLE or LoRaWAN after the campaign ends. Together with a LoRaWAN radio you can choose every LoRa-provider currently on the market, no problem! We will ask you which frequency (we will offer 868MHz or 915MHz) you want after the campaign.

To make sure it works out of the box we will make sure each device is pre-configured for use with The Things Network. It’s a free, crowd based network. You'll probably don’t even need to place a gateway yourself. A lot of city’s are covered with a couple of thousand gateways in the field already. See here for the TTN-coverage map.

Let’s get a little nitty gritty technical now.

- Performance

The amount of energy the module generates depends on the input light. With 200 lux (bare minimal) it generates around 200uA. This will move up to the maximum of 20mA (!) with daylight.

- Energy Storage

Each module has a built-in SuperCap, which stores around 1.7 mWh for moments without light or peak usage. This SuperCap has a life expectancy of around 50.000 cycles. That's easily more than 68 years* of operation worst, worst case (charging twice a day), but double it for best case. See above on how the SuperCap works.

* 68,493150685 to be precise, but nobody likes a smart ass ;-).

- Solar

We use ultra efficient (typically 22%, or higher) Monocrystalline silicon technology. The best thing about these kind of cells is that they virtually don't degenerate.

- MCU

There are two different MCU's on each module. The first is the Arduino compatible Atmel controller. This is not the most energy efficient one (we know), but we will supply you with example code and documentation to make it work. The best thing though about this, is that even beginner programmers can use it - straight over the micro USB connector.

For the more advanced users we will supply documentation and acces to the onboard Cortex M4 MCU. This will give you full control. By the way, our hardware engineer Moh said literally: 'mention that the Cortex M4 MCU is VERY efficient'. So there you have it.

- Radio's

So why did we settle for Bluetooth 4.2 and LoRaWAN connectivity? Well it is because of the "low energy" specifics of both of these protocols.

We can use a Bluetooth radio in beacon mode, sending sensor data straight to nearby smartphones all day long while using only 25uA.

LoRaWAN enables the modules to send packages over distances around 10 km (over 6 miles) with as low as 40mA for around 70 millisecs.

Oh and to be sure, we do ship in both 868 MHz or 915 MHz versions. Again, don't think about it now, we'll ask you, or help you, before shipping.

- Light Energy as OEM module in your product?

We expected that question, and we will offer you that option. The Light Energy module itself (so without sensors, MCU or radio's) will become available as separate product for OEM developers after handling this Kickstarter campaign. So backing the campaign is the fastest way to get your hands on these and start developing with them. And we will listen to our backers for feedback on the development.

Tryst Energy is a spin off out of Rotterdam based research & development agency Tweetonig. With a team of 20 embedded engineers we develop all kind of connected hardware. Check a tour through our office with John below:

The Internet Of Life - smart rhino's

The guys from the Internet Of Life are saving rhino’s by making wildlife parks (Tanzania, Rwanda) 'smart'. But the GPS-tracker that they attach to the rhinoceros is battery powered. The battery accounts for about 98% of the device. With Light Energy and some kick-ass engineering in house we are going to try saving these rhino's.

Flexchair - smart ergonomical chair

By adding the Tryst Movement Edition Flexchair gets 'smart'. And that's more than fun, it's really practical. With the Flexchair app you get notifications to keep on moving and the chair 'knows' when it's in use. So for flexible working spots, we now know when they're taken or not.

Ekster - smart wallet

If you're a regular on Kickstarter, you've probably already spotted the Ekster 2.0 campaign. They make ultra-slim trackable wallets with TrackR technology. And Light Energy.

€5 - Support us and get our eternal gratitude (and stay in the loop with exclusive backer updates)

Early Bird Specials (Limited available - 50 pieces)

€50 - Tryst DEV Edition + Kickstarter Goodie bag (you will be asked if you want Bluetooth LE or LoRa after the campaign)

Kickstarter Prices

€59 - Tryst DEV Edition BLE // LoRa (25% off est. retail price!)

€69 - Tryst Movement Edition BLE // LoRa (22.5% off est. retail price!)

€74 - Tryst Environment Edition BLE // LoRa (25% off est. retail price!)

You will be asked if you want Bluetooth LE or LoRa after the campaign.

Combo Packages

€180 - Tryst DEV + Movement + Environment Edition BLE // LoRa (€202 value)

€500 - 3x Tryst DEV + 3x Movement + 3x Environment Edition BLE // LoRa (€606 value)

You will be asked if you want Bluetooth LE or LoRa after the campaign (!).

Okay, final question: does it fit in a candy wrapper?

Yes, it does and it's out of this world (Mars).