The Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems IPMS in Dresden has developed communication modules that can wirelessly transfer data at a speed of up to 1 Gigabit per second over a distance of up to 10 metres. While aimed at industrial applications, the technology could find a home in AV installations and smart buildings where many sensors allow systems to communicate with each other.
The technology uses light in the infrared range as the wireless transmission medium.
The optical wireless communication utilises the internationally non-regulated spectrum of light with bandwidths of several Gigabits per second. Provided there are no blocks between sender and recipient it has the potential to transmit data up to ten times faster than available wireless solutions, with minimal bit error rates. The company says the technology can do this while requiring only 15 percent of the energy per transmitted byte of user data.
The first Li-Fi HotSpot that serves as a prototype for optical wireless communication for distances of up to 10 metres will be presented to a trade audience for the first time at the Electronica show in Munich, Germany from November 11-14.