To recharge electronic equipment without sockets or battery chargers: this is the aim of the work being developed by researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology in the United States. The idea is to use the 5G network, which enables an extremely fast connection, as a wireless electrical system. That way, to recharge a cell phone, tablet or notebook, for example, all you would need to do is to connect to the network.

To do this, the researchers created an antenna system using the so-called Rotman Lenses, which can capture 28 GHz electromagnetic waves. These lenses also permit the capturing of information from very diverse locations without having to move the antenna system. This means that the network would reach a wide coverage area and charge the devices connected to the 5G of a given region being “connected by air”.

“The fact is 5G is going to be everywhere, especially in urban areas. You can replace millions, or tens of millions, of batteries of wireless sensors… ” said Emmanouil Tentzeris, a professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology. The system is being tested, but there is still no date as to when this will be available for day-to-day use.

Glossary

5G: technology that offers the fastest Internet. It is estimated that the connection is up to 12 times faster that of the 4G network, which is used today in most modern cell phones.

Electromagnetic waves: they transport energy and travel at the speed of light, 300,000 kilometers per second. Although we cannot see them, these waves are part of everyday life. Because of them, programs can be broadcasted on radio or television sets, for example.

Questions

1) When will the system be available?

a) In 2021

b) In 2022

c) Five years from now

d) No date yet

2) How else could cell phones be improved?

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