Spray-on antenna gets great reception at Google event
February 14th, 2012 in Technology / Engineering
Spray-on antenna gets great reception at Google event
(PhysOrg.com) -- A spray-on antenna? The idea is not fantasy but real and
tested
technology that works. A Utah startup has introduced a spray-on signal
booster in
a can that promises an improved signal. The company suggests this is a
lightweight,
easy answer for smartphone users who are frustrated over dropped calls and
poor cellphone
reception with traditional antennas. The approach can create signal-boosting
antennas
on nearby walls, trees or clothes. The spray product was unveiled at
Google's
Solve for X
"conference."
The
antenna
debut has been a standout at this "Solve" gathering of creative minds. In
typically
future-focused Google talk, the event is called a forum "to encourage and
amplify
technology-based moonshot thinking and teamwork."
The company,
Chamtech Enterprises
, tested the spray on a tree, among other tests, and the team was able to
send a
VHF signal up to 14 miles away using only the treated tree. Rhett Spencer,
chief technology officer
of Chamtech, said the company’s spray-on
technology
could make cell phones work with 10 percent better efficiency.
This is not just technology for infotainment at a show. The company’s
website presents
the technology in the form of a “Spray On Antenna Kit” and tells interested
parties
to call for pricing. The company is promoting it as a multi-purpose antenna,
simple
and quick to assemble, mountable on almost any surface, for use in any
environment.
"Any" bears quite a range of possible end uses.
Spray-on antenna gets great reception at Google event
Chamtech has been talking to government customers but they also hope for a
wider
customer base including mobile phone makers and manufacturers of medical
devices.
Also, the company is upbeat over successful tests that were run to examine
the spray's
signal performance underwater. Chamtech promoters say the technology could
be used
by weather and oceanographic researchers and underwater welders.
The antenna spray in a can is clearly a coup for this company, which is
holding several
patents on its nanospray on antenna technology. That is not to say the idea
of a
spray-on antenna on surfaces does not have a history, which it does.
According to
an
article
in 2001, "Spray-on Antennas Make Their Mark," researchers were studying
materials
that could be used to spray on radio antennas onto surfaces--walls, windows
or fabric
shelters. Their goal was allowing military commanders and relief workers to
set up
communications networks quickly, in areas where there was minimal
infrastructure.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), was at the time said
to be
considering a number of possible applications and techniques for using
spray-on antennas.
Chamtech's presentation at the Google-sponsored Solve for X appears to be an
impressive
answer. Anthony Sutera, the company's CEO, is an entrepreneur specializing
in radio,
satellite and wireless communications systems. Google's bio notes say he has
over
20 years' experience in creating and managing companies competing in the
communications
market.
© 2011 PhysOrg.com
"Spray-on antenna gets great reception at Google event." February 14th,
2012.
http://www.physorg.com/news/2012-02-spray-on-antenna-great-reception-google.html
|
