# Perpetual Wearable Biosensing with Andy Kong

- Show: [The Amp Hour](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour)
- Published: 2026-09-10
- Length: 1h 06m
- Episode: 733
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2026-09-10-perpetual-wearable-biosensing-with-andy-kong
- Listen: https://theamphour.com/733-perpetual-weable-biosensing-with-andy-kong/

## Summary

Andy Kong, founder of Chargerless, explains how his pre-seed wearable biosensing device achieves perpetual operation using just one minute of daily sunlight. He details the system architecture, which relies on a deliberately underpowered microcontroller and custom-built analog front-end circuitry to minimize power consumption. The device samples biometric data, such as heart rate via PPG, at low frequencies to maintain battery life while offering features comparable to commercial trackers like the Apple Watch and Whoop. Kong also discusses his experimental 'Power over Skin' project, which uses human body communication to transmit milliwatts of power through the body for charging.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2026-09-10-perpetual-wearable-biosensing-with-andy-kong#t=0) Introduction: Andy Kong and Chargerless
- [2:19](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2026-09-10-perpetual-wearable-biosensing-with-andy-kong#t=139) Chargerless Product Overview and Solar Strategy
- [4:31](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2026-09-10-perpetual-wearable-biosensing-with-andy-kong#t=271) System Architecture and Feature Trade-offs
- [6:33](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2026-09-10-perpetual-wearable-biosensing-with-andy-kong#t=393) Custom Analog Front-End for Heart Rate Sensing
- [18:58](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2026-09-10-perpetual-wearable-biosensing-with-andy-kong#t=1138) Competitive Landscape: Whoop, Aura, and Fitbit
- [22:24](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2026-09-10-perpetual-wearable-biosensing-with-andy-kong#t=1344) Deconstructing and Rebuilding the PPG Sensor
- [34:18](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2026-09-10-perpetual-wearable-biosensing-with-andy-kong#t=2058) Bluetooth Power Consumption and Data Transmission
- [39:05](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2026-09-10-perpetual-wearable-biosensing-with-andy-kong#t=2345) Solar Harvesting and Custom Solar Cells
- [43:51](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2026-09-10-perpetual-wearable-biosensing-with-andy-kong#t=2631) Microcontroller Selection and Firmware Challenges
- [53:49](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2026-09-10-perpetual-wearable-biosensing-with-andy-kong#t=3229) Power Over Skin: Human Body Communication

## Topics

- [Batteries & low-power design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/batteries-and-low-power)
- [Analog & power electronics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/analog-and-power-electronics)
- [Sensors & measurement in products](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sensors)
- [Microcontrollers & dev platforms](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/microcontrollers-and-platforms)
- [Wireless & RF](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/wireless-and-rf)
- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Chargerless (product)
- Apple Watch (product)
- Whoop (product)
- Fitbit (product)
- Aura (product)
- Garmin (company)
- Texas Instruments (company)
- Renesas (chip)
- Skyworks (company)
- OpenBCI (product)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [121. Power Up Your Wearable Devices with Blood Sugar!](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-next-byte-podcast/2023-05-09-121-power-up-your-wearable-devices-with-blood-sugar) (The Next Byte Podcast)
- [The Watch that Never Needs Charging, Raspberry Pi 5 Speed Check, Open source Rockchip NPU, and more!](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-electromaker-show/2024-03-20-the-watch-that-never-needs-charging-raspberry-pi-5-speed-check-open-source-rockc) (The Electromaker Show)
- [168: Put Your Gear on the Ping Pong Table](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2016-09-14-168-put-your-gear-on-the-ping-pong-table) (Embedded.fm)
- [182. Ex-Apple Engineer Creates Skincare Smart Patches](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-next-byte-podcast/2024-07-09-182-ex-apple-engineer-creates-skincare-smart-patches) (The Next Byte Podcast)
- [27: You Are Blowing My Mind](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2013-11-13-27-you-are-blowing-my-mind) (Embedded.fm)

## Citing this page

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