“UW CSE researchers have created a new wireless communication system that allows devices to interact with each other without relying on batteries or wires for power.
“The new communication technique, which the researchers call “ambient backscatter,” takes advantage of the TV and cellular transmissions that already surround us around the clock. Two devices communicate with each other by reflecting the existing signals to exchange information. The researchers built small, battery-free devices with antennas that can detect, harness and reflect a TV signal, which then is picked up by other similar devices.”
Today this work received the SIGCOMM 2013 Best Paper Award.
Read more here.