Researchers have uncovered an innovative way to tap into the over-capacity of 5G networks, turning them into “a wireless power grid” for powering Internet of Things (IoT) devices that today need batteries to operate.
The researchers have developed a flexible Rotman lens-based rectifying antenna (rectenna) system capable, for the first time, of millimeter-wave harvesting in the 28-GHz band. The Rotman lens is key for beamforming networks and is frequently used in radar surveillance systems to see targets in multiple directions without physically moving the antenna system.
To harvest enough power to supply low-power devices at long ranges, however, large aperture antennas are necessary. The problem with large antennas is they have a narrowing field of view. This limitation prevents their operation if the antenna is widely dispersed from a 5G base station.
How Marine Animals Could Be Used to Clean Up Nature’s Big Pollutant: Microplastics Nature s perfect filtering machines to the rescue
UConn s Water Pollution Control Facility. Researchers are testing the abilities of certain kinds of shellfish to remove microplastics from water (courtesy of Baikun Li). Copy Link
On a hot summer day in Connecticut, it’s common to go to a beach-side restaurant, eat some fresh oysters and mussels, and enjoy the crashing of the waves against the sand. For a group of University of Connecticut faculty and a Florida Atlantic University professor, their plan is to skip the beach and the restaurant and use relatives of those delicious animals for another reason filtering the harmful microplastics that end up back in our environment.
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IMAGE: Rice University chemical and biomolecular engineer Haotian Wang has been selected as a 2021 Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow. view more
Credit: Rice University
HOUSTON - (Feb. 17, 2021) - Chemical and biomolecular engineer Haotian Wang of Rice University s Brown School of Engineering has been selected as a 2021 Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow.
Wang is one of 128 early career scientists and engineers at 58 U.S. and Canadian institutions whose creativity, innovation and research accomplishments make them stand out as the next generation of scientific leaders, according to the Sloan Foundation.
The honor comes with a two-year grant of $75,000 to advance the fellow s research goals. Wang was granted a Packard Fellowship and earned a $2 million Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation grant from the National Science Foundation earlier this year. He was named to the Forbes Magazine 30 Under 30 in Science list in 2019.