Photo: OPPO
OPPO's AirTag-like device won't need batteries like Apple's tracker. The OPPO Zero-Power Tag is the first gadget from OPPO's Zero-power Communication Technology, which it detailed in a white paper earlier this year. The tech uses RF signal harvesting and backscattering to power itself with a computer that needs minimal energy. And so, it won't need a battery to function. It can get that RF energy from things like TV and radio towers.
OPPO suggests this kind of technology could benefit different Internet of Things devices, like a tracker for easily lost things (a la Apple AirTag) or as a way to measure temperature and humidity. The data can be viewed in an accompanying app. One use case OPPO suggests is a device to track endangered birds' migration.
In its current form, the tag comes in a slim, rectangular plastic casing in black or white. But the company has suggested it could become something as compact as a sticker you can attach to objects you want to track.