# Pico-X: a 24.9 nanowatt microcontroller for long-duration autonomous operation in flexible landing-pad sensor networks

Source: [nature.com](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-79332-9) · 2026-11-10 · Life
Page: https://themorning.science/story/pico-x-a-24-9-nanowatt-microcontroller-for-long-duration-autonomous-operation-in-575848c87e841110
Kind: research · Impact: medium

## In brief

- Researchers describe Pico-X, a programmable microcontroller designed for sparse, event-driven sensing.
- Pico-X operates at a reported 24.9 nanowatts.
- The paper targets long-duration autonomous monitoring in flexible landing-pad sensor networks.

## Why it matters

Very low standby power could let battery-powered or energy-harvesting sensors run unattended for much longer, which matters for remote or hard-to-service monitoring deployments.

## Timeline

- 2026-11-10: Published online in Nature Communications

## Coverage

- [Pico-X: a 24.9 nanowatt microcontroller for long-duration autonomous operation in flexible landing-pad sensor networks](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-79332-9) — nature.com, 2026-11-10

Tags: microcontroller, low-power electronics, sensor networks, embedded systems, autonomous monitoring

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Brief generated by AI (claude-haiku-5-5) from the reporting listed under Coverage. Headlines belong to their publishers. The Morning Science – https://themorning.science