IoT: Idea for future

In the age of low power, connected devices, one can imagine a world where many IoT sensors (Internet of Things) are basically everywhere, from water tube joints, light bulbs, gas pipes - basically in every place where a fault requires notification.

Low power means they ought to consume the least they can under normal conditions, and eventually use higher power to communicate the detected failure.

It might be possible, in some cases, to have a zero-power (or near zero) consumption device, which, by means of electronics, could be bootstrapped and powered just in case of a hardware-detected fault.

Let's take a light bulb for example. You apply power to the bulb, and you expect a current to flow through it. This smart device could, with very low consumption, only power up if the power is applied and current is near zero, and warn that the bulb is defective.

An idea.