Want China Times, Staff Reporter 2013-10-18
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| A new light bulb design on display at the Hong Kong International Lighting Fair, Apr. 6. (Photo/Xinhua) |
Shanghai's
Fudan University has made a breakthrough with the development of
"Li-Fi" technology, in which a one watt LED light bulb can help
connect four computers to the internet simultaneously, reports the local Xinmin
Evening News.
Compared
with an average internet connection speed of 150 megabytes per second (Mbps),
the new technology — which uses light as a carrier instead of traditional radio
frequencies used for Wi-Fi — can also generate speeds as fast as 3.25 gigabytes
per second (Gbps), the university said.
The current
wireless broadband connections are expensive and less efficient, said Xue
Xiangyang, a professor at the university's Department of Computer Science. He
cited the example of wireless services in mobile phones, where although there
are many base stations set up to help increase the signals, efficiency rates
are as low as 5%. On the other hand, LED lighting, which could be used to
replace traditional devices, can provide a safer and cheaper solution by adding
a microchip on the bulb, Xu said.
The
Shanghai Committee of Science and Technology asked Fudan University to work on
key applications to help develop the information industry last year, and the
university will now showcase ten computer samples using the new technology at
the Shanghai Industry Expo next month.
Chi Nan, a
member of the research team, said that Wi-Fi, which depends on an invisible
wave, has the hidden danger of electromagnetic radiation, while with Li-Fi
technology, the light spectrum is 10,000 times more than the radio spectrum and
it does not require any new infrastructure construction. He added, however,
that there is still a long way to go before Li-Fi can be used by thousands of
households as it would take time to manufacture a series of products, such as
the connection control and chip at a mass production level.
Chi said
that Li-Fi should not be treated as a rival to Wi-Fi connection but rather as a
complementary technology, as the Li-Fi connection may be disrupted when the
light is blocked.
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