Backscatter radios used for gigabit-data rate mmWave communications

The breakthrough by researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology (GATECH), Nokia Bell Labs, and Heriot-Watt University could lead to low cost, low power 5G Internet of Things (IoT) networks.

Backscatter radios - passive sensors that reflect rather than radiate energy - are known for their economy, low-complexity, and battery-free operation, making them a potential key enabler of such networks but they typically feature low data rates, and their performance depends on the surrounding environment.

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To overcome this, the team employed a unique modulation approach in the 5G 24/28GHz bandwidth and demonstrated that these passive devices can transfer data safely and robustly from virtually any environment. The findings have been reported in Nature Electronics.

According to GATECH, mmWave communications is considered ‘the last mile’ for broadband, with directive point-to-point and point-to-multipoint wireless links. This spectrum band is said to offer advantages including wide available GHz bandwidth, which enables very large communication rates, and the ability to implement electrically large antenna arrays, enabling on-demand beamforming capabilities. However, such mmWave systems depend on high-cost components and systems.