6G Wireless Technology to Charge Human Body? Study Says It's Possible

To the world’s growing demands, technological advancements are progressing at lightning-fast speed. While flying cars may have to wait a bit longer, a new technology might have a breakthrough to offer that sounds more tempting. Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have claimed that they have conducted a study and found that the human body can be put to use to harvest waste energy, which can be used to power devices in the future. The human body can act as antennae that will power not just a range of wearable devices, but perhaps also larger electronics. Another breakthrough that the researchers have promised is 6G telecommunications the possibility of Visible Light Communication (VLC). This is similar to a wireless version of fiber optics, which uses flashes of light to transmit information.

Jie Xiong, a professor of Information and Computer Sciences at UMass Amherst was the senior author of this research paper. He called VLC “quite simple and interesting.” Professor Xiong went on to add, “Instead of using radio signals to send information wirelessly, it uses the light from LEDs that can turn on and off, up to one million times per second.” According to him, VLC is an infrastructure that is already available everywhere. From people’s homes, vehicles, streetlights, and even offices, all are lit by LED bulbs. This can also be transmitting data. Jie Xiong said, “Anything with a camera, like our smartphones, tablets, or laptops, could be the receiver.”

The research team from the University of Massachusetts Amherst has a practical product to offer as well. They have produced what is known as the Bracelet+. This is a simple coil made out of copper wire. This is primarily used to be worn as a bracelet on the upper forearm. However, it can be adapted to wear as a ring, belt, anklet, or necklace.

The team experimented to fix the significant “leakage” of energy in VLC systems that were previously found. They tested out several design details, which included the thickness of the wire to the number of times it was coiled. Eventually, it was found that the efficiency of the antenna varied according to what the antenna touched. After using several surfaces like plastic, cardboard, wood, and steel, it was found that the human body is the best medium. So much so that the coil’s ability to collect leaked RF energy, increased up to ten times.

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