Saturday 21 January 2012

engineers use light to beam music

Using a laser to beam music from one place to another? It’s not science fiction, it’s a reality thanks to some BYU electrical engineering students.
The system is called a free space optical transmission device.
"We have our music coming in from an iPod, or some other music device, and then it comes in, converts it to digital and then sends it across this laser to our receiver and that converts it back so you can listen to it on your speakers," said Matt Seamons, a student who worked on the project.

But it's not just about making music more mobile. There are potential real world applications beyond just the convenience wireless portability.
Encrypted military communications are broadcast everywhere when they use electromagnetic waves, making them available to anyone who wants to do the work of breaking the code.
"This actually has a very narrow beam width, so when they are transferring the information ... it's not as easy to tap into," Seamons
There are other possibilities as well. One can easily imagine using a system of these lasers to connect government offices, businesses or any other party that needs no prying eyes.

No comments:

Post a Comment