Sneakernet, Ethernet, Fluoronet?

A professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has figured out a way to transmit analog and digital data to special handheld devices or PCs using fluorescent lights.

InformationWeek Staff, Contributor

July 2, 2001

1 Min Read
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That flickering fluorescent light in your office could be doing more than giving you a migraine. A professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has figured out a way to transmit analog and digital data to special handheld devices or PCs using fluorescent lights.

The technology encodes data within the light emitted by conventional-looking fluorescent light fixtures and transmits it to optical transceivers. Initially, the technology is earmarked for use in public places where there's a need to transmit simple directions and other information to people, especially those with handicaps.

Steven Leeb, an associate professor at MIT's Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, developed the technology, which is based on modifications to a light fixture's magnetic ballast. All fluorescents have magnetic ballasts that create the miniscule electrical pulses necessary to light up the bulb. Unlike conventional fluorescent fixtures, which pulse at regular intervals, lights using Leeb's technology pulse at variable intervals that contain encoded text, graphics, or audio. The pulses are picked up by battery-powered receivers small enough to be portable.

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