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| Science & Technology |
| Chinese scientists make breakthrough in replacing WiFi with LiFi |
| 2017-10-04 |
| [DAWN] Chinese scientists have made a breakthrough in creating full-color emissive carbon dots (F-CDs), which brings them one step closer to developing a faster wireless communication channel that could be available in just six years. Light Fidelity, known as LiFi, uses visible light from LED bulbs to transfer data much faster than radio wave-based WiFi. While most current research uses rare earth materials to provide the light for LiFi to transmit data, a team of Chinese scientists have created an alternative, F-CDs, a fluorescent carbon nanomaterial that proves to be safer and faster. "Many researchers around the world are still working on this. We were the first to successfully create it using cost-effective raw materials such as urea with simple processing," said Qu Songnan, an associate researcher at Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, which leads the research. Qu said rare earth has a long lifespan which reduces the speed of LiFi transmission. However, Switzerland makes more than cheese... F-CDs enjoy the advantage of faster data transmission speeds. In previous studies, carbon dots were limited to the emission of lights such as blue and green. The new nanomaterial that Qu's team has developed can emit all light visible to the human eye, which is a breakthrough in the field of fluorescent carbon nanomaterial. Qu said this is significant for the development of LiFi, which he expects to enter the market in just six years. A 2015 test by a Chinese government ministry showed that LiFi can reach speeds of 50 gigabytes per second, at which a movie download can be completed in just 0.3 seconds. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #11 Skidmark is correct, although for all practical purpose, it really doesn't make much difference. :) |
| Posted by: Seeking cure for ignorance 2017-10-04 21:10 |
| #10 Magpie, the trick with visual spectrum fluorescing bits is there needn't be a signal decoder in the display receiver. Remember WYSIWYG? 3D, any thoughts? Fluorescence doesn't promise me enough energy to overcome fiber attrition for any distance. |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2017-10-04 20:31 |
| #9 OOOhh, Hellspawn. As last I can recall radio frequencies fall to the left of the visible frequencies on the energy spectrum. Longer wavelength means more 'distance' between bandpass detection peaks (-1, 0, +1). Visible spectrum has shorter wavelengths so less distance from peak-to-peak. Less distance means more peak-to-peak detections means more data within the same interval of 'time', ergo faster within this context. How'd I do? Wait, let me look it up! |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2017-10-04 17:17 |
| #8 An application looking for a proper need? If you need Line-Of-Sight with light then just use a cable. The advantage of using RF is the signal going around corners and through things. |
| Posted by: magpie 2017-10-04 14:05 |
| #7 Look up the speed of RF and get back to me. |
| Posted by: Hellfish 2017-10-04 13:46 |
| #6 uses visible light from LED bulbs I think IBM started using multi-freq LED lasers @'94. Yes indeedy, optical is faster than RF. 'Speed-of-Light' and all that. The new nanomaterial that Qu's team has developed can emit all light visible to the human eye This is just poor spectrum management, unless it is strategically linked to other developments like printed mylar displays you can rollup and put in your pocket, or optical camo. |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2017-10-04 13:34 |
| #5 Be another 30yrs. before the average person in the US will be a to is it regularly. |
| Posted by: Chris 2017-10-04 13:24 |
| #4 Did they steal this technology from us too? |
| Posted by: Raj 2017-10-04 12:02 |
| #3 |
| Posted by: Bright Pebbles 2017-10-04 09:56 |
| #2 One word: walls. |
| Posted by: Victor Emmanuel Ebbaise1246 2017-10-04 04:26 |
| #1 We were the first to successfully create it using cost-effective raw materials such as urea with simple processing As LBJ once said, "Put a little urine on it!" |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2017-10-04 00:27 |