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Jan 15, 2011

South Korean Scientists Transmit Broadband Signals Through Human Arm

Human skin is apparently a very energy-efficient conduit for transmitting data. A recent experiment achieved a rate of 10Mbps, which may put my Internet connection to shame. The experiment used small, flexible electrodes and took place at Korea University.

The finding may lead to a new generation of medical devices that can monitor blood sugar or electrical activity in the heart. Such devices cut energy needs for a monitoring network by about 90 percent compared to wireless devices running on batteries.

South Korean researchers placed electrodes about 12 inches (30 centimeters) apart on a person's arm, and found that the low-frequency electromagnetic waves travel easily through the skin without any outside interference.

The South Korean study improved on past attempts by using tiny metal electrodes coated with a silicon-rich polymer, which allowed the device to bend at a 90-degree angle 700,000 times without incident. Each electrode was just about the width of three human hairs.

This may not seem all that surprising coming from South Korea, known as perhaps one of the most wired places on Earth for Internet. But we can't help but wonder if the researchers hadn't been watching some Battlestar Galactica goodness, given the tendency for a certain Cylon (played by Grace Park) to plug data cables into her arm for a bit of computer-on-computer consultation — not that we're talking about brains communicating directly with devices just yet.
 
 

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

hmm but how much energy is lost somewhere else in our body?

JayPower said...

Possibilities are endless with technology like this! ;D

Someone said...

invagrantly asks a really relevant question that i would also like to know the answer too, because the way skin is connected, and nerves exist, wouldnt some of the energy follow those paths also, and what are the effects on the skin?

Engelhart said...

Oh, Korea, what next?

JackHorrison said...

This is amazing. If we can do this with skin, why not trying it with trees, and making their branches wifi transmitters?

GD said...

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Poetry of the Day said...

bbzzzzzzt

ValveWorld said...

Thats very cool, should make things easier!

Vapor said...

Over/under on how long it takes before they somehow use it to play Starcraft?

Anonymous said...

Their sole purpose was probably to improve Starcraft....

Josh Tree said...

That is so cool

BTN Hip Hop said...

strange

Anonymous said...

ofcourse.. the asians would think of this

SuciƓ Sanchez said...

Remember the good old days of standing on one leg holding the bunny ears trying to get a good TV picture?

Mister Sharaf said...

this is expected. nothing weird i think. our skin can transfer electricity so, data is just electricity. correct me if im wrong