James Bond-style technologies are closer to reality
July 21, 2004
James Bond-style technologies such as cell phones the size of earpieces and invisible sensors sprinkled about to detect toxins are closer to reality. University of Michigan researchers have figured out how to build wireless systems even smaller while still retaining range and power efficiency.
One obstacle to further shrink small wireless devices has been trying to fit all the components onto one chip but U-M researchers have built a tiny silicon-compatible antenna and frequency resonator that will do just that.
The antenna and resonator are two of the most problematic off-chip components in wireless systems. The two components require large amounts of space off the chip—think of a cell phone antenna extending outward—thus limiting how small a device can be built.
Until now, small antennas weren't power efficient and resonators were not accurate, said Kamal Sarabandi, director of the radiation laboratory in electrical engineering and computer science (EECS). His research group developed the antenna.
The technology is being developed for use in environmental sensors, but could be applied to cell phones, laptops and other wireless devices, said Michael Flynn, head of the wireless interface group.
"We could have cell phones almost the size of an earpiece," Flynn said. "You could have sensor nodes that are almost invisible, you could just sprinkle them around."
Rather than using a traditional wire antenna, researchers built a slot antenna. In a slot antenna, instead of the metal wire, imagine covering an entire plane with metal, leaving only a slot or groove in the metal bare. Wire surrounds the groove so it’s much more effective at radiating electromagnetic waves in a small antenna, Sarabandi said. Because of the antenna’s shape, the wireless system does not need a network to match the antenna’s frequency to the rest of the electronic device.
Sarabandi’s group has been talking with Intel about a possible collaboration. Intel is interested in using the technology in laptop computers, Sarabandi said.
The second component U-M scientists replaced is the quartz frequency resonator, which allows a wireless device to focus on a specific signal and ignore others. The work was done by EECS Prof. Clark Nguyen’s group.
Instead of quartz, U-M scientists used MEMS-based technology to build the resonator so it can be fitted onto the chip. It functions similarly to how the rim of a wine glass thrums when flicked by a finger. The wine-glass rim design helps retain the purity of the signal.
Source: University of Michigan
-
Wireless Power Supplies Using Magnetic Resonance
May 13, 2010 |
4.1 / 5 (10) |
6
-
NEC Electronics Expands 8-Bit Microcontroller Series to Enable Compact, Economical and Advanced-Function Sensor Systems
Jul 23, 2004 |
2 / 5 (1) |
0
-
Breakthrough in Wireless Devices Makes Earpieces Size Cell Phones Closer To Reality
Jul 20, 2004 |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
-
T-rays technology could help develop star trek-style hand-held medical scanners
Jan 20, 2012 |
5 / 5 (15) |
14
-
Cellphone towers fade into landscape
Dec 22, 2011 |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
-
Engineers build first sub-10-nm carbon nanotube transistor
Feb 01, 2012 |
4.9 / 5 (31) |
30
-
Something old, something new: Evolution and the structural divergence of duplicate genes
Jan 31, 2012 |
4.6 / 5 (7) |
1
-
The hidden nanoworld of ice crystals: Revealing the dynamic behavior of quasi-liquid layers
Jan 30, 2012 |
5 / 5 (3) |
1
-
Stock market network reveals investor clustering
Jan 27, 2012 |
3.9 / 5 (23) |
8
-
Of microchemistry and molecules: Electronic microfluidic device synthesizes biocompatible probes
Jan 26, 2012 |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
More news stories
Anonymous knocks CIA website offline (Update)
The website of the Central Intelligence Agency was inaccessible on Friday after the hacker group Anonymous claimed to have knocked it offline.
11 hours ago |
5 / 5 (10) |
17
New error-correcting codes guarantee the fastest possible rate of data transmission
Error-correcting codes are one of the triumphs of the digital age. Theyre a way of encoding information so that it can be transmitted across a communication channel such as an optical fiber o ...
Technology / Computer Sciences
20 hours ago |
4.9 / 5 (8) |
6
|
New power source discovered
(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and RMIT University have made a breakthrough in energy storage and power generation.
Technology / Energy & Green Tech
19 hours ago |
4.7 / 5 (31) |
8
|
Google users warned of threat to smartphone wallets
Users of Google smartphone wallets were being warned on Friday that there is a way to crack pass codes intended to thwart thieves from going on illicit shopping sprees.
10 hours ago |
5 / 5 (2) |
0
Small modular reactor design could be a 'SUPERSTAR'
(PhysOrg.com) -- Though most of today's nuclear reactors are cooled by water, we've long known that there are alternatives; in fact, the world's first nuclear-powered electricity in 1951 came from a reactor ...
Technology / Energy & Green Tech
19 hours ago |
4.4 / 5 (14) |
25
|
Humans may have helped the decline of African rainforests 3000 years ago
(PhysOrg.com) -- Large areas of rainforests in Central Africa mysteriously disappeared over three thousand years ago, to be replaced by savannas. The prevailing theory has been that the cause was a change ...
The power of estrogen -- male snakes attract other males
A new study has shown that boosting the estrogen levels of male garter snakes causes them to secrete the same pheromones that females use to attract suitors, and turned the males into just about the sexiest ...
Advanced power-grid model finds low-cost, low-carbon future in West
(PhysOrg.com) -- The least expensive way for the Western U.S. to reduce greenhouse gas emissions enough to help prevent the worst consequences of global warming is to replace coal with renewable and other ...
Could Venus be shifting gear?
(PhysOrg.com) -- ESAs Venus Express spacecraft has discovered that our cloud-covered neighbour spins a little slower than previously measured. Peering through the dense atmosphere in the infrared, the ...
Japan scientist makes 'Avatar' robot
A Japanese-developed robot that mimics the movements of its human controller is bringing the Hollywood blockbuster "Avatar" one step closer to reality.
Fool's gold may prove an unlikely alternative to overexploited catalytic materials
Catalytic materials, which lower the energy barriers for chemical reactions, are used in everything from the commercial production of chemicals to catalytic converters in car engines. However, with current catalytic materials ...