<
https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2024/01/new-portable-antenna-help-disasters>
"When an earthquake, flood, or other disaster strikes a region, existing
communication infrastructure such as cell phone and radio towers are often
damaged or destroyed. Restoring emergency communications as quickly as possible
is vital for coordinating rescue and relief efforts.
Researchers at Stanford University and the American University of Beirut (AUB)
have developed a portable antenna that could be quickly deployed in
disaster-prone areas or used to set up communications in underdeveloped
regions. The antenna, described recently in
Nature Communications, packs down
to a small size and can easily shift between two configurations to communicate
either with satellites or devices on the ground without using additional power.
“The state-of-the-art solutions typically employed in these areas are heavy,
metallic dishes. They’re not easy to move around, they require a lot of power
to operate, and they’re not particularly cost-effective,” said Maria Sakovsky,
an assistant professor of aeronautics and astronautics at Stanford. “Our
antenna is lightweight, low-power, and can switch between two operating states.
It’s able to do more with as little as possible in these areas where
communications are lacking.”"
Via Esther Schindler.
Share and enjoy,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
