Most of the signals that we use to understand our environment and make decisions are small packets or continous streams of low level energy, such as  vibration, light, temperature, etc. Proper design of these systems can measure and report these signals while also using the signal itself as a power source to complete these processes. Under many situations, where continuous updates are not necessary these sensors can provide long-term battery free operation to enhance situational awareness of users or to inform AI systems making decisions. 

For many sensor applications, signals change slowly and opportunities for energy harvesting can be scarce. Using a spiking architecture such as integrate and fire, can slowly build up the necessary energy while also providing a measure of the incoming signal. This approach supports analog configurations where computational materials and other more sustainable elements can be used in the design.