Popular Mechanics – We Don’t Know Exactly How 6G Wireless Technology is Going to Work
Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst believe using people as antennas to power 6G wireless tech may be the most viable way to harvest additional energy that would otherwise get wasted.
What is VLC?
In the always-present effort to speed up informational exchange, scientists have already started investigating Visible Light Communication, VLC, basically a wireless version of fiber optics that uses flashes of light to transmit information. Adding VLC to 6G spurred the UMass Amherst team to dig even deeper.
Some Background on 6G Wireless Tech
As a refresher, 5G, what is considered the fifth and most recent generation of cellular broadband networks, is still in its infancy. True 5G wireless networks operate in millimeter-wave frequency between 30 and 300 GHz, which are 10 to 100 times higher frequency than previous 4G cellular network.
Some cell phone providers cheat, however, by claiming the upper end of the 4G spectrum as 5G. The definition of these cellular generations are defined by a global partnership known as 3GPP. Given the history of the never-ending march of technology, it’s inevitable that 5G will be replaced by a new network in the future.
It Just Isn’t Entirely Clear What 6G Will Be
In the meantime, in the new study, the UMass Amherst scientists found that people can play a crucial role in making VLC more efficient by using their bodies as a carrier for coiled copper to catch waste energy from VLC. Lead study author, UMass Amherst Professor of Information and Computer Sciences, explains, VLC is quite simple and interesting.
Scientists on Radio Signals vs LED Lights
Instead of using radio signals to send information wirelessly, it uses the light from LEDs that can turn on and off up to one million times per second. LEDs bulbs can then transmit data, and anything with a camera, like our smartphones, tablets, or laptops, could be the receiver, Zhang says. The downside of VLC comes from a high rate of leakage of energy with the emitting of side-channel radio wave signals.
Harvest Wasted Radio Frequency Through People
The scientists believe that if they can harvest the wasted radio frequency energy, they can put it to good use by powering small electronic devices. After experimenting with wires, coils, and backgrounds, the scientists realized the human body offers the best medium, up to 10 times better than any other setting tested, for amplifying a copper coil’s ability to collect leaked RF energy. They then built the bracelet, an inexpensive gadget that is meant to be worn on the forearm, but can adapt into a ring, belt, or necklace to harvest lost energy. The coiled copper bracelet can reach up to microwatts, enough to support on-body health monitoring sensors, which require little power to work, the team says.
Popular Mechanics – Scientists Want to Use People As Antennas to Power 6G
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