Researchers transform 5G networks into IoT power grids

According to foreign media, researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a flexible Rotman lens-based rectenna system that can collect millimeter waves in the 28-gigahertz band. This technology can turn 5G networks into a radio network that can power small Internet of Things (IoT) devices that currently require batteries to run in the air.

[[391020]]

Rotman lenses are critical to beamforming networks, which are commonly used in radar surveillance systems to observe targets from multiple directions without moving the antenna. In order to create a system that can harvest enough power to operate low-power devices at long distances, larger aperture antennas are needed. The team said that current 5G networks are built for high-bandwidth communications. High-frequency networks contain power that can be harvested but not used, which would otherwise be wasted.

It is reported that the researchers created these devices using in-house rapid prototyping manufacturing technology to print millimeter wave collectors on a variety of everyday flexible and rigid substrates. In the future, they hope to replace batteries with air charging, which may bring revolutionary changes to various electronic products.