Scientists developing energy-efficient smart power sockets can help reduce electronic waste

According to the foreign media New Atlas, although there are many household appliances that can be remotely monitored and controlled through the Internet, every household appliance needs to be connected to a dedicated Internet of Things (IoT) electronic device. Engineers have now created a simpler system by moving these electronic devices to the sockets at home.

This technology is known as the Smart Electrical Outlets (SEOS) system, developed by a team from the National University of Singapore. It combines an "intelligent" panel network to replace the current panels on building sockets, as well as NFC (Near Field Communication) stickers affixed to each electrical power cord plug. All sockets in a building are connected to the central server via Wi Fi.

When one of the plugs is inserted into one of the sockets, the NFC reader on that socket can identify the appliance through a unique code on the label. Then, the server will search for the electrical specifications of the appliance in the database. Then, users can turn on or off the appliance through the Internet by simply turning on or off the power of the socket. This means that when the appliance is not in use, it does not consume any current at all - for a regular socket, the appliance still consumes some electricity in standby mode.

The system also allows users to monitor the real-time power consumption of sockets and check if electrical appliances have been accidentally turned on. In addition, various sockets can be included in the schedule, allowing them to automatically turn on and off appliances at specific times of the day. More importantly, if the system detects that the current of a certain electrical appliance exceeds the specified amount, it will automatically close the socket to prevent the appliance from overheating.

According to the university, the cost of installing the SEOS system per socket is approximately $80, and this technology should be able to reduce the total plug load energy consumption of buildings by 30% to 60% - depending on the size of the building. SEOS should also reduce the cost of appliances and the amount of electronic waste they generate, as each device does not need to add its own IoT electronic devices.

"The application of this development is not only aimed at buildings or building owners," said Sanjib Kumar Panda, chief scientist and associate professor at the university. "This can benefit busy office workers or elderly people living alone who are busy with work and forget to turn off their sockets. Smart sockets will allow anyone to remotely check the performance of their devices and control them."

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