Interference and signal overlap are likely to increase in the coming years. It is not only cars that are increasingly becoming radio control centres that monitor their surroundings and want to exchange large amounts of data with other road users and central servers.
The trend is no different for smartphones, laptops and other smart gadgets. At the same time, the likelihood of wireless connections being disrupted increases, which can lead to a drop in data speeds or a complete loss of connection.
MIT has presented an important element to avoid this kind of situation. A chip with ideal characteristics can achieve much better results than existing technology by optimizing its position.
It is not about the position in the smartphone or laptop, but in the circuit. The receiver, which currently has four non-reciprocal phase shifters working together, is located directly behind the first signal amplifier.
Unlike in the past, defective parts of a transmission are not eliminated later during signal processing, but essentially upon receipt of the still analogue wave signal.
This is precisely where the phases of the individual waves, which almost inevitably overlap, can be shifted until the received signal is free of interference. According to the study, this should work four times better than before.
The technology also has other advantages. It fits on a chip with an area of just 3.2 square millimeters, the size of a grain of rice. In addition, the power required remains minimal due to the very direct approach, and also because the subsequent error correction is lower. If the chip is not in use, it simply switches itself off to save even more energy.
Assuming that the problems of overlapping and interference of electromagnetic waves are likely to get worse rather than better, adaptation to larger systems and the future 6G is already underway. The chip should already be able to handle the necessary frequencies.
And if all else fails, that is, if there is still no signal, take a deep breath and turn off your smartphone.
