We all are soaked in the lights surrounding us, which illuminated the world for us. But are these lights which are in home, office, building, outside in the streets worth more than that. Disney Research brings the answers for this in a peculiar and outstanding fashion. Scientists had demonstrated that light can certainly act as a medium for the simple light bulbs to communicate not with just each other but also with the internet.
Internet of Things are going through a rapid pace of development where scientist and developers are utilizing the different technologies at their disposal to make home appliances much smarter by enabling them to interact with users through internet. But what Disney Research points towards is much more exceptional and awe aspiring than these simple tweaks in design of appliances.
Disney Research utilizes transmitting signals through light
Disney Researcher had utilized the process of transmitting signal via light in order to create a networking technology, LEDs that Use Visible Light to Talk . This new technology LEDs that Use Visible Light to Talk makes it possible for the LED lights to communicate with each other along with bringing compatibility with Internet and other technical protocols. The head of Disney Research, Wireless Research Group, Stefan Mangold had stated that the advancement made by Disney will help in bringing a more important and significant role for the Visible Light Communications (VLC) in the Internet Of Things. Internet of Things allows different object or appliances to communicate with each other along with sharing of vital information but with the presence of VLC it can get much smarter and quicker in its operations.
How VLC can play a positive role in Internet of Things?
The Internet of Things based consumer devices normally rely on the radio links for transforming communications but with the help of VLC devices are just needed to be equipped with LEDs for developing communication nodes. LEDs can have huge potential in the world of toys where we can even have Internet of Toys where smarter toys can be developed which can be accessed, monitored or even utilized remotely.
Disney Research scientists will be presenting this valuable finding in much depth and detail at the upcoming ACM Workshop on the Visible Light Communication Systems in France.
How this technology really works?
Disney Research scientist had used the ordinary LED light bulbs, which were later modified in order to gain the capability of sending and receiving the visible light signals. The modifications done by the scientists includes a System-on-a-Chip which runs on Linux, additional power supply for added electronics and a VLC controller module with the much needed protocol software.
Once the physical changes had been performed the stage is set to install such software which allows the signal transmission through this unique hardware. Compatibility was ensured with the Internet protocols in order facilitate fast and smarter transmission of information. The networks, which were created with LEDs, had the transmission speed of 1 kilobit per second. The uses of VL enable bulbs are huge as it can be used to broadcast beacon for detecting the locations of different objects linked within a network and route can be formed through light signals for communicating with these objects.