28th May 2021, Kathmandu
This article is freely split under the Attribution 4.0 International license. Researchers have developed a way to gather energy from WiFi signals to power small devices.
The amount of WiFi sources that send data wirelessly between devices is growing exponentially. This has made the 2.4GHz radio frequency used by WiFi more broadly used, allowing more signals to be used for other purposes.
To take advantage of this unwanted energy source, researchers have established a technology to collect and convert wireless radio frequencies using a small smart device known as the Spin Torque Oscillator (STO). Energy Powers small electronic devices.
In a recent study, researchers used WiFi band signals to gather energy and wirelessly power light-emitting diodes (LEDs) without batteries.
We are covered by WiFi signals, but when we are not using them to access the Internet, they are inactive and very wasteful, said National University Computer Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Professor Yang Hyun soo of the department said Singapore at the foreSpin torque oscillators are a class of new devices that create microwaves and have applications in wireless communication systems. However, the application of STO is obstructed by the low output power and wide line width.
Mutual synchronization of many STOs is a way to overcome this problem, but current schemes such as low-range magnetic coupling between multiple STOs have spatial limitations.
High-range electrical synchronization with a vortex oscillator, on the other way, limits the frequency reaction to hundreds of MHz. It also requires a dedicated recent source for each STO, which can complex the overall on-chip implementation.
To control the spatial and low-frequency limitations, the research team conceive an array of eight STOs connected in series.
Using this array, the 2.4GHz electromagnetic wave used by WiFi was converted into a DC voltage wave and transmitted to a capacitor to light a 1.6V LED. Charging the capacitor for 5 seconds, I switched on the same LED for 1 minute after turning off the wireless power.