Most of us know of the Wi-Fi technology, bluetooth, radio, eye-fi, Hi-fi among other wireless technologies. But thanks to China's new invention. A new technology is here - Li-fi is a wireless technology that employs the light bulb technology to transmit wireless internet connectivity.
Li-fi was first demonstrated by University of Edinburgh professor Harald Haas in the UK. At an Aug. 2011 TED Talk, Haas displayed a li-fi device transmitting at 10 Mbps, asserting that the technology could hypothetically exceed 1 Gbps. The Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute confirmed this claim earlier this year, according to the BBC.
The technology relies on a fast-pulsating beam of light embedded with signal processing technology. Receiving devices would read the light pulses and translate them on a streaming basis. On-board cameras in smartphones, tablets, computers and other gadgets could be modified to double as photoreceptors.
If the technology proves viable, it could make for a cost-effective, highly efficient, high-speed networking medium. Due to the fact that it relies on direct light, its use as a secure data line could be useful in privacy-dependent scenarios.
