1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites

Digital Light - Data out of a Lamp

May 26, 2015

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute in Berlin have developed a new optical wireless technology that doesn't need a traditional radio-based router. Instead, the digital data is transmitted via light.

https://p.dw.com/p/1FWn2
Future Now
Image: DW/A. Main

The researchers developed a special modulator to regulate the LED light source, and a photodiode captures the light on the laptop. The new technology is especially promising for settings where radio wireless is undesirable, or where it can't reach - including places like offices, hospitals and aircraft cabins. Another benefit is security. Because every wall or opaque surface acts as a firewall, optical wireless technology is almost impossible to wiretap.