A research team from Ohio State, led by Nima Ghalichechian is aiming to increase signal strength by creating floating antennas suspended on a number of small posts. The floating feature allows for the antenna to send a stronger signal to users when compared to conventional antennas that sit on a base plate.
Two graduate research assistants at Ohio State’s Electroscience Lab, Jiantong Li and Kyoung Ho Jeong, are working on these devices. Jeong is working on the more intricate details of the antenna, like the lensing structure. The antenna has to get an increase of transmitted power. The team’s structure allows for the signal to be focused and gathered, increasing the power of the entire antenna. The biggest advantage of all of this power is connectivity. The IoT, as example, is the connection of every device being connected to one another and to do this, a lot more power is needed to send large amounts of data.
Crowded microwave frequencies are the current standard for transferring data. Bandwidth is the frequency at which the data or signals can be sent at. The research team has proposed moving to a wide-open millimeter-wave frequency in order to pass more data through the respective bandwidths. They are now trying to go about 50 times higher frequency which can result in a 50 times higher bandwidth. The idea is to create devices that transmit and receive data at these very high frequencies.
Aside from entertainment purposes, the uses include millimeter-wave, short-range communication links, satellite communications, radars, remote sensing, security and medical imaging. The research is in the design phase so there is plenty of work to do before the public could see the antennas in use.
