Shyam Gollakota, a scientist of Indian-origin, along with his team of researchers at the University of Washington, has developed a new communication technique called “ambient backscatter,” which works on TV and cellular transmissions to communicate between devices.
We are already surrounded by wireless technology, now researchers have developed a new communication technique that reflects the signals from the existing signals to exchange information. Researchers have built small, battery-free devices with antennas that can detect, harness and reflect a TV signal which can be easily picked up by other similar devices.
The researchers tested the ambient backscatter technique in credit card-sized prototype devices that were placed within several feet of each other. Each device had a built in LED light that flashes when the device receives a signal. The devices were tested is distances ranging from half a mile away from a TV tower to about 6.5 miles away in various locations across the Seattle area. The devices were tested across various locations like street corners, inside an apartment building as well as on the top level of a parking garage.
Researchers found that the devices were able to communicate with each other easily. The receiving devices picked up a signal from their transmitting counterparts at a rate of 1 kilobit per second to 1.5 feet apart indoors and 2.5 feet apart outdoors. This is adequate to send information like sensor reading, contact information and text messages. The technology will be helpful in devices which rely on batteries, like smartphones that could be configured to send out text messages even when the battery dies by leveraging power from an ambient TV signal.
The lead researcher on the project, Shyam Gollakota, a UW assistant professor of computer science and engineering stated, “We can repurpose wireless signals that are already around us into both a source of power and a communication medium. It’s hopefully going to have applications in a number of areas including wearable computing, smart homes and self-sustaining sensor networks.”
Source: ET