Well, I'm working with a light-based IoT technology, and there are some serious limitations to overcome. [I'm presuming that as described in the article, we're discussing light transmission in...
Well, I'm working with a light-based IoT technology, and there are some serious limitations to overcome. [I'm presuming that as described in the article, we're discussing light transmission in indoor air, not photonics in optical fiber/glass.]
Interference. Other light sources (the sun shining in a window, IR cameras, etc.), reflective surfaces, cooking smoke/dust haze, and line-of-sight obstructions can all diminish the signal-to-noise ratio. Laser mesh networking could help, but that's also going to increase the power requirements.
Range. The small section of the EM spectrum represented by UV, IR, and everything in between is subject to varying degrees of absorption by environmental materials, as well as attenuation with distance. For IR, humidity makes a difference, as do some varieties of glass and plastic. Receivers have to be within range and the line of sight has to be unobstructed, which rules out in-pocket and covered devices.
Coverage. On a blueprint, it's easy to draw circles representing effective range for ceiling-mounted light fixtures. The built environment will have obstacles from passing pedestrians, architectural elements, furniture, room dividers, curtains... Generally, it's like any lighting design where you need infill from additional light sources at different heights to ensure a uniform glow. And if it's visible light, there's the trade-off for comfortable brightness versus perfect coverage, and regulation of light spillage at night.
Heat. Even at the highest efficiency, all the necessary light sources will contribute heat that needs to be managed. LED lighting systems still turn about 60% of consumed power into heat (usually as semiconductor heating rather than extraneous IR emissions), so increasing coverage or networking transmissions will cause additional heat load.
Human factors. UV has longer range, but you don't want to give everyone skin/eye injuries, or cause damage to UV-sensitive materials (plastics and natural fabrics). Any degree of visible flicker is a hazard for eye fatigue and headaches.
I'm not saying optoelectronic networking is useless or uncool, just that it's got its own engineering considerations like anything else.
Oh I love this shit! Photonics integrated circuits is cutting edge technology that could vastly improve the speed and performance of next gen semiconductors. As grayscail mentioned, this...
Oh I love this shit! Photonics integrated circuits is cutting edge technology that could vastly improve the speed and performance of next gen semiconductors. As grayscail mentioned, this technology is already common in telecom applications, but there is some really cool and exciting research into getting photonics into advanced packages for super computing chips.
Lights are the present of internet and data transmission. There's a huge world spanning optical interconnect making up the backbone of the internet
Well, I'm working with a light-based IoT technology, and there are some serious limitations to overcome. [I'm presuming that as described in the article, we're discussing light transmission in indoor air, not photonics in optical fiber/glass.]
Interference. Other light sources (the sun shining in a window, IR cameras, etc.), reflective surfaces, cooking smoke/dust haze, and line-of-sight obstructions can all diminish the signal-to-noise ratio. Laser mesh networking could help, but that's also going to increase the power requirements.
Range. The small section of the EM spectrum represented by UV, IR, and everything in between is subject to varying degrees of absorption by environmental materials, as well as attenuation with distance. For IR, humidity makes a difference, as do some varieties of glass and plastic. Receivers have to be within range and the line of sight has to be unobstructed, which rules out in-pocket and covered devices.
Coverage. On a blueprint, it's easy to draw circles representing effective range for ceiling-mounted light fixtures. The built environment will have obstacles from passing pedestrians, architectural elements, furniture, room dividers, curtains... Generally, it's like any lighting design where you need infill from additional light sources at different heights to ensure a uniform glow. And if it's visible light, there's the trade-off for comfortable brightness versus perfect coverage, and regulation of light spillage at night.
Heat. Even at the highest efficiency, all the necessary light sources will contribute heat that needs to be managed. LED lighting systems still turn about 60% of consumed power into heat (usually as semiconductor heating rather than extraneous IR emissions), so increasing coverage or networking transmissions will cause additional heat load.
Human factors. UV has longer range, but you don't want to give everyone skin/eye injuries, or cause damage to UV-sensitive materials (plastics and natural fabrics). Any degree of visible flicker is a hazard for eye fatigue and headaches.
I'm not saying optoelectronic networking is useless or uncool, just that it's got its own engineering considerations like anything else.
Oh I love this shit! Photonics integrated circuits is cutting edge technology that could vastly improve the speed and performance of next gen semiconductors. As grayscail mentioned, this technology is already common in telecom applications, but there is some really cool and exciting research into getting photonics into advanced packages for super computing chips.