MIT scientists converted WiFi signal into electricity

Mbadachusetts Institute of Technology scientists (MIT), in the United States, have designed a machine that converts Wi-Fi signals into electricity to power electronic devices without the need to charge at night.

Scientists have created a small two-dimensional article with materials very thin and flexible, which absorbs the waves of the wireless network as well as other electromagnetic waves in the air, and converts them into electricity.

Thanks to this invention, which converts the signal into useful direct current, Wi-Fi could become a generalized source of energy. Agree with Tomás Palacios, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at MIT, the road was paved for collecting energy stolen from the environment.

"When you have one of these devices, you collect energy 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (…) you could cover the desk with an electronic tablecloth and even if it is only on the desk, it would collect energy all the time, "said the researcher at the magazine. Nature.

Although the power obtained does not exceed the range of microwatts, the invention brings man closer to the possibility of getting electricity from almost everywhereand be able to use it in our cell phones, laptops and other devices.

Palacios and his colleagues designed an antenna that receives radiation from any device that uses 2.4 GHz (GHz) and 5.6 GHz. This alternating current flows into a molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) semiconductor, where it is converted into a continuous electric current.

The system designed by MIT scientists Its effectiveness is between 30% and 40% in laboratory tests, producing about 40 microwatts when it is exposed to signals carrying 150 microwatts of power.

"It does not look like much compared to the 60 watts a computer needsbut you can still do a lot with that, "said Palacios.

"A wide range of sensors can be designed for environmental monitoring or chemical and biological detection, operating with a single microwatt. you can save electricity in a battery for later use "he added.

Although other energy sensing devices were created before, they were rigid, fragile and very complex to be manufactured on a large scale. On the contrary, Molybdenum disulfide sheets can be produced in industrial machinerywhich implies that they can be large enough to capture useful amounts of energy.