(Imagine a world where every LED light is an Internet access point)
We are consuming a hundred percent more wireless data every year. That is doubling the amount of wireless data we are consuming from one year to the next. That is exponential growth. What we are doing now in 2017 is we have consumed more wireless data than in the entire history of humanity put together.So what happens when we move from 5 billion connected devices to 20 billion connected devices? What happens when the Internet of things becomes a reality?
We have an increasing demand in wireless data and we need energy to fuel all the processes for that exchange. It turns out the data centers are just a drop in the ocean of the total energy consumption compared to the wireless access that is required for them. In 2015 according to the Center for energy-efficient communications the world consumed 43 Terawatt-hours just for accessing the wireless cloud. That is equivalent to the yearly consumption of energy for 2015 of Romania. But there is another thing that also consumes a lot of energy. It is light. Light accounts for about 20% of all electricity consumption even with LEDs.Thus we have that unprecedented demand in data processing and the question rises at this moment whether data and light use the same power and our ability on keeping our data safe and repurposing the energy for illumination to provide wireless communications.
I have been developing one scientific projectfor 2 years by this moment being a student of grade 9. It is called “SmartLights – Data transmission using light”. The goal of my project is to study the properties and potential of data transmission using light with the subsequent development of a prototype using this technology. The object of the study is visible light, created by LEDs.
LED light sources can be more precisely tuned than other types of light sources, which will allow us to achieve higher bandwidth. The ability of LEDs to change the intensity of glow at very high frequencies (on the rate of hundreds of thousands of times per second) will allow us to encode information in a light signal and transmit it wirelessly. Such fluctuations are invisible to the human eye and ordinary lighting equipment will still perform the function of lighting.
First of all, we can use ordinary lighting equipment for two purposes simultaneously: lighting and data exchange. This allows us to save a lot of energy and establish Internet access points in many places. Also, it does not require any additional infrastructure, as light sources are found almost anywhere.In addition, there is light where radio waves are unsafe or unavailable: at oil stations (since radio waves can create sparks in antennas), under water or under ground, in airplanes, in hospitals. Security problems of personal data privacyare solved very simply: light is blocked by walls, so the risk of data leakage is minimal.
The main area wherethis project work will be appliedis street lighting systems that are found in the streets, parks, squares and many more places of the city. “SmartLights” networks can be installed in places of large crowds in order to reduce the load on 4G networks or use in territories where the use of 4G seems inexpedient. It is noteworthy that unlike usual standards, when the number of connected users increases, the bandwidth of the SmartLights network does not decrease. Our national mobile operators may be interestedin this project.
The technology of data transmission via light can be used in many areas:
• The technology can be used to exchange data between street lighting and cars, exchanging information on location, weather and traffic conditions.
• In situations where the use of radio waves is not available, or is unsafe. An example can be cabin aircraft, oil stations, places located at depth under the water (bathyscaphes), or underground (mines).
• In offices, instead of conventional Wi-Fi networks, you can more effectively implement this alternative, since there are a large number of stationary computers.
• You can use solar panels to receive the transmitted light signal as with the change in illumination, the power of the solar panel also changes. By processing the power change, it is possible to turn the solar panel into a data receiver, combining the functions of generating alternative energy and data transmission.
I believe that my project will bring a lot of benefits to our country. It is necessary for us to build a new type of networks which are more effective and less energy consuming. It is also relevant, as it might become a part of the “Digital Kazakhstan” program and make our country one of the leaders of digital development.Imagine a world in which every light bulb, every street lamp or even a car headlight can become a router that will provide us with high-speed Internet access.A bunch of opportunities is waiting for us in this "green", mobile and bright future.