A new wireless system based on laser technology offers a transmission speed of 360 Gbps
The tech environment of scitechdaily reports that researchers at the University of Cambridge have developed a new wireless system based on laser technology, with a transmission speed of up to 360 Gbit/s and consumes half as much energy as Wi-Fi technology.
Researchers emphasize that modern life relies on fast and reliable wireless connections, but the traditional radio spectrum is becoming increasingly crowded, and energy consumption is rising. They have decided to develop an innovative solution: a new optical wireless communication system that uses light to transmit data instead of radio waves.
At the heart of the system is a chip size of less than 1 square millimeter, which integrates a VCSEL 5×5 array. This powerful infrared laser allows for high-speed operation. Each laser can be independently controlled and transmits a separate data stream, enabling parallel operation of multiple lasers. This significantly increases the total data capacity the system can handle.
Tests have shown that among the 21 active lasers, the speed of a single laser reaches 13 to 19 Gbit/s, with the overall system speed reaching 362.7 Gbps.
To solve the problem of multibeam interference, the team designed a compact optical system that calibrates light through a microlens array and uses additional lenses to distribute beams in a structured grid, ensuring minimal overlap in the coverage area.
Tests have shown that the illumination uniformity exceeds 90% at a distance of 2 meters. In multi-user tests, the simultaneous operation of four beams achieved a stable transmission speed of around 22 Gbps.
In terms of energy efficiency, the system consumes approximately 1.4 nanojoules per transmission bit, which is about half of similar Wi-Fi technologies. Researchers emphasize that this technology complements Wi-Fi rather than replacing it, to alleviate congestion on the radio network. In the future, this system could be integrated into lighting equipment to create high-performance indoor networks of the next generation.
[Context: Researchers at the University of Cambridge have developed a new wireless system based on laser technology with a transmission speed of 360 Gbps, which is faster and more energy-efficient than traditional Wi-Fi technology.] [Fact Check: The new wireless system uses light to transmit data instead of radio waves, and the individual lasers operate independently for parallel data transmission.]
