Researchers from Oregon State University have created a new technology using LED’s capabilities to produce beyond visual spectrum lighting to transmit data. They have named the device as WiFO, and it can use the beyond spectrum lighting to transmit and receive data. Currently, the prototype WiFO system looks like a typical ceiling LED system that stretches out across a given area, and according to the researchers each devices connected WiFO receives data rates of 50 to 100 megabits. The Wi-Fi systems available in the market deliver data divided by the number of connections. For e.g. a 100Mbps Wi-Fi will only 10 Mbps to each users if it has 10 connections. According the researchers, WiFO will solve this problem by giving ten times more bandwidth per user. “In addition to improving the experience for users, the two big advantages of this system are that it uses inexpensive components, and it integrates with existing WiFi systems,” said Thinh Nguyen, an Oregon State University associate professor of electrical and computer engineering. Nguyen worked with Alan Wang, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, to build the first prototype. “I believe the WiFO system could be easily transformed into a marketable product, and we are currently looking for a company that is interested in further developing and licensing the technology,” Nguyen said. Nguyen says that the WiFO can easily be made in as low as a dollar and is adaptable to USB standards. The research team has already secured a provisional patent for WiFO and are now looking for sponsorships and partners for manufacturing WiFO commercially.
