Ted Talks Summary No. 5

Harald Haas
          Wireless Data From Every Lightbulb


The topic that Harald Haas talks about, is that simply we have 1.4 million wireless fidelity broadcast towers around the world transmitting data, through radio waves, to computers routers and smart phones around the world. Although this process can be simplified much easier by transmitting data through a newfound technology invented, to transmit wireless data through light waves, because the visible light scale is 10,000 times more potent than the radio wave scale. Therefore, 10,000 times 1.4 million is 14.4 billion, which is about how many lightbulbs we have around the world.

I have always been on the struggle with wireless technology, whenever I pull out my phone or mobile device I am wondering about wifi, and how I can get some when i'm out, or what position i have to be in to get the best signal. So for when a presenter comes to talk about an alternative to wireless fidelity, I really wanted to hear about this.

I think His point is very well said, and the idea is almost, very sound. Yet his original point of there being 14 billion lightbulbs in the world, it would seem very confusing still to think of how people would adapt to an alternative source of wireless fidelity. It may seem weird, instead trying to find a signal, trying to find a source of light. A lot of factors come from that, when I think about the sustainability of connection while using this "light fidelity". For instance when you are using wifi you find a strong hotspot and stick to it until you are done with it. But light varies all the time, day goes to night lights turn off cars drive by, it just seems like a work in progress at the moment.

I really liked the point near the end where he says " So, all what we need to do is, to fit a small micro chip to every potential illumination device. And this would then, combine two basic functionalities, wireless data transmission, and illumination. And it's this symbiosis, that I would personally believe could solve the four essential problems we face in wireless communication these days. And in the future you may not only have 14 billion lightbulbs, you may have 14 billion lifi's deployed worldwide, for a cleaner, greener, and even brighter future."