Wireless devices go battery-free with new ambient backscatter tech

The new ambient backscatter technique takes advantage of the ever-present, pre-existing tv and cellular transmissions that already surround us. Each device utilising the system is equipped with an antenna that picks up these signals and converts them into electricity, before reflecting a version of that signal. Similar antennas on other devices are then able to detect this coded, reflected signal, and respond accordingly. The researchers say the technology could enable a network of devices and sensors to communicate with no power source or human intervention required, moving us one step closer to the Internet of Things (IoT). "We can repurpose wireless signals that are already around us into both a source of power and a communication medium," said lead researcher Shyam Gollakota, a UW assistant professor of computer science and engineering. "It's hopefully going to have applications in a number of areas, including wearable computing, smart homes and self-sustaining sensor networks."