The idea of ​​getting electricity captured from radio broadcasts that float around us is not a new idea. Two years ago at CES we saw a prototype charger fed by waves traveling WiFi networks, but the prototype never became more than that.
Now a group of scientists from a technical school of the University of Georgia have taken an important step in this technology, although in a different direction. Hands Tentzeris, Amin Rida, Li Yang, Rushi Vyas have created transducers that capture the energy of these signs, and for the manufacture of just one inkjet printer home.
The bad news is that these antennas are designed to power gadgets. The good is that they could provide unlimited energy to RFID tags and sensors, low voltage, opening a whole new world of possibilities to create wrappers, packaging and other objects 'sensitive'. Not difficult to link this idea to the concept of 'internet of things' that brought us the next generation of IPv6 addresses to think of futurism as ham packages to notify us of its expiration by sending an e-mail.
The invention seems a little to the recent discovery that comment here on printable solar cells, only it is much easier. Apart from the design of the antennas, Tentzeris team has created a specific ink composed of nanoparticles of different components that have only revealed the silver.
The first printed antennas (the process can be performed on any material) date from 2006 and could capture energy from frequencies of 100 and 200 Mhz. The current antenna and 'harvest' energy in the bands to 15-60GHz. According to its creators, can get energy from frequencies ranging from FM radio to radar.
The project discussed the possibility of creating sufciente supertransductores to reap power to charge a gadget, but it is not their primary objective. However, comments that could be used to prevent the batteries lose power when the devices are at rest. ¿Phones with endless hours on hold? Many do we settle for that.