Subsea IoUT enabled by light and energy transfer

Self-powered internet of underwater things (IoUT) that harvest energy and decode information transferred by light beams can enhance sensing and communication in the seas and oceans, claim the team at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). They are now working to solving some of the many challenges to this technology being employed in harsh and dynamic environments.

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"Underwater acoustic and radio wave communications are already in use, but both have huge drawbacks. Acoustic communication can be used over large distances but lacks stealth and can only access a small bandwidth," said master's student Jose Filho. "Furthermore, radio waves lose their energy in seawater, which limits their use in shallow depths. They also require bulky equipment and lots of energy to run."

"Underwater optical communication provides an enormous bandwidth and is useful for reliably transmitting information over several meters," said co-first author Abderrahmen Trichili. "KAUST has conducted some of the first tests of high-bit-rate underwater communication, setting records on the distance and capacity of underwater transmission in 2015."