By seamlessly pausing calculations when power is interrupted and resuming when power returns, the system — called BFree — allows devices to smoothly operate any time power is available, enabling a new movement of sustainable DIY electronics. The system was designed to help tackle the problem of e-waste, 53 million tons of which is produced globally each year.

"The goal, which may be a ways off," Josiah Hester, who co-led the research, told us in an interview via email, "is for battery-free technologies like BFree to replace the battery-powered versions, for reasons like sustainability, but also for convenience and reducing maintenance costs."