Trailblazers of the wireless revolution

A vision of the future: a completely wireless world, in the fields of both communications and energy. It may not look too exciting on paper, but the consequences are almost too far-reaching to grasp – certainly if future devices will (theoretically) last forever and will all be able to communicate with each other. Przemek Pawelczak and Marco Zuniga are two trailblazers of the wireless revolution, each with their own approach. We joined them for a walking interview exploring tomorrow’s world. ‘It’s not that hard to conceive a brilliant idea – making it into reality is a lot more difficult.’

We start off with a private lesson. Przemek Pawelczak – Assistant Professor in the Embedded Software Group – points to a white router mounted on the wall. He expects that many more of these devices will be found in this room in ten years’ time. They will transfer not only data, but also energy. To our mobile telephones, for example.
We walk through a lecture room and pause at the sockets installed in the steps. They may well be a thing of the past in a decade from now. Even though the amount of energy we can ‘transfer’ wirelessly will always be limited: exposure to large amounts of energy seriously affects our health, and massive amounts would even roast us on the spot. But small currents are fine. In fact, they are already being used today. Our public transport chip cards do not have a battery, but are able to communicate with the entrance and exit gates at train stations. And that is only the beginning. ‘In let’s say, ten years from now, speculates Pawelczak, ‘the smartphones themselves will consume very little energy. This way the energy picked up wirelessly by the device will be sufficient to run them. We are taking steps towards the wireless revolution: combining wireless energy and communication’.

Ultimate wirelessness

Removing wires from the equation could have far-reaching consequences. The fact that the demand for wireless data transfer will increase exponentially in the decades ahead is beyond dispute. The amount of data everyone is using is increasing dramatically, and an increasing number of world citizens want to claim their place in the digital society. The Internet of Things (a network of devices fitted with tiny chips allowing them to communicate with each other) is slowly but surely on the rise.

Radio alone can no longer support this massive increase in wireless data traffic, so the search for alternatives has begun. Welcome to the age of ultimate wirelessness, the vision of the future that Przemek Pawelczak (roots: Poland) and Marco Zuniga (roots: Peru) are exploring. Each bringing their own unique approach.

Using light to transfer data

The principle of ‘backscatter’ is key to the technique that Przemek Pawelczak researches. Your device is not an energy source and therefore does not transmit energy itself. Instead, it reflects energy produced by the same device that also transmits and receives the data. Put simply, information is transmitted by using a transistor to ‘turn the energy on and off’ quickly, which itself is powered from the ambient.
The question addressed by Marco Zuniga and his colleagues is whether we can also use light sources to transfer data. Zuniga, also Assistant Professor in the Embedded Software Group, points to a light on the ceiling and explains: ‘Communication using light is as old as the lightbulb itself. For example, transmitting Morse code by turning a light on and off. However, you will not get very far transmitting bits and bytes using an old-fashioned lightbulb, because it cannot be turned on and off quickly enough. But it’s different with LED lamps, which you can turn on and off very fast indeed. And it will not be visible to the human eye. To extend the comparison to include computers: light off is, for example, 0, and light on is 1. The major advantage is that lights are everywhere, and chances are that in the future they will all be LED lamps’.

Where will all this lead? Soon, lamp posts will ‘talk’ to each other, jointly determining the best time to switch on and off, and for whom. Cars will communicate with each other using their lights to reduce the risk of accidents and likelihood of traffic jams. Or they will use their headlights to communicate with traffic lights to optimise the flow of traffic. It is what Zuniga calls the ‘Internet of Lights’.

Everything will soon have a memory

Imagine the completely wireless world becoming a reality – what else can we expect? A world in which all objects and living beings carry a chip. These chips all communicate with each other, and all have a memory. It takes very little imagination to appreciate the wealth of possibilities.
Pawelczak’s current research project ties in directly with the future Internet of Things. Once you place a small chip or tag in an object or living being, you would rather not have to take it out again. After all, it might mean knocking down a wall, dismantling a chair, or a real nuisance: perform surgery on a cow or a person. ‘So we prefer to use small devices that do not need any energy themselves. And that you can reprogram remotely.’ Theoretically, these objects and their chips could last forever.

A new digital revolution?

They are quintessential electrical engineers: both feet firmly on the ground, used to further developing things that already exist. The next digital revolution? Well, that’s not how they would put it. Pawelczak: ‘We practise applied science.’ They believe people tend to underestimate how difficult it often is to develop an idea into a practical application that a company will identify as a worthwhile pursuit (i.e. as having commercial potential). Zuniga: ‘People often think that a brilliant idea is at the heart of your success. But thinking up crazy ideas isn’t actually that hard. It’s much more difficult to convert a good idea into an actual case and make it a reality’.

Roulette

Don’t get them wrong, these two Assistant Professors – they have no reason to complain. On the contrary, in fact. Marco Zuniga: ‘I could earn a lot more working in the business world. But here, I learn. Here, I’m constantly growing and challenging myself.’ The research conducted by Pawelczak and Zuniga is comparable to putting all your chips on a single number on the roulette table. The chance of winning is small, but if you win, you win big. Przemek Pawelczak: ‘But you must understand that commercial success can never be your sole driver. What is much more important is that we enjoy what we are doing. It’s wonderful to toy with all these technical possibilities, and added to that, we can help inspire colleagues and students on a daily basis.’

Data using light: how do you deal with two-way traffic?

It is theoretically possible to use light to transmit data to an object using rapidly blinking LED lamps. But how do you get data back if there is no blinking light source on the other side, such as your mobile phone? One of the ideas being explored by Zuniga and his colleagues is the use of reflective material in receivers. ‘Imagine you have a car with a reflective roof. You could then add a huge barcode to the roof. Sunlight would reflect the unique barcode, and with it, data.’ This would mean that, for example, the whereabouts of the car could easily be traced. Or you could also leverage indoor lights and track the location of a person or equipment in a hospital or factory.

Author: Stan van Herpen | Photography: Marcel Krijger and Sam Rentmeester | May 2016