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www.firstpost.com_tech 2015 01272.txt.txt

#Indian-Origin researcher uses Wi-fi to power camera In a first such demonstration, an Indian-origin researcher has developed a system that uses Wi-fi Internet signals to beam power to remote devices such as a surveillance camera. Developed by doctoral student Vamsi Talla and colleagues at University of Washington in Seattle, the system is known as power-over-Wi-fi. The idea is simple in concept. Wi-fi radio broadcasts are a form of energy that a simple antenna can pick up. Until now, Wi-fi receivers have all been designed to harvest the information that these broadcasts carry. Talla simply connected an antenna to a temperature sensor placed it close to a Wi-fi router and measured the resulting voltages in the device and for how long it can operate on the remote power source alone. Even more ambitiously, the team also connected a camera to their antenna. This was a low-power sensor capable of producing 174×144 pixel black and white images, which requires 10.4 millijoules of energy per picture. To store energy, they attached a low leakage capacitor to the camera which activates when the capacitor is charged and continues operating until the voltage drops to 2. 4 Volts. The images were stored in a 64kb random access memory (RAM. In the subsequent tests, the camera performed remarkably well. he battery-free camera can operate up to about five meters from the router, with an image capture every 35 minutes, Talla told MIT Technology Review. By adding a rechargeable battery, he increased the distance to seven meters. The router could even power the camera through a brick wall, demonstrating that it would be possible to attach the device outside while keeping the power supply inside. he technology would be hugely useful for surveillance, perhaps connected to a movement sensor to trigger the camera when something moves in its field of view, Talla noted. The team also connected their antenna to a Jawbone fitness tracker and used it to recharge the battery that powered it. sing this, we charge a Jawbone device in the vicinity of the power-over-Wi-fi router from a no-charge state to 41 percent charged state in 2. 5 hours, the team pointed out. According to the MIT report, power-over-Wi-fi could be the enabling technology that finally brings the nternet of Thingsto life. IANSTAGS: Camera Over Wi-fi Signals, Internet of things, Power-over-WI-FI, University of Washington, Vamsi Talla, Wi-fi, Wi-fi Router i

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