new drone antenna expands wi-fi range for disaster-struck areas.pdf

7/26/2019 New drone antenna expands Wi-Fi range for disaster-struck areas.pdf

1/4

D R O N E S

New drone antenna expands Wi-Firange for disaster-struck areasNick Lavars | August 5, 2014

Researchers from the University of North Texas (UNT) have demonstrated an

unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capable of supplying Wi-Fi to disaster-struck areas

with a range of up to 5 km (3.1 miles). The team says these figures represent amarked improvement on existing solutions and could lead to new forms of

wireless communication.

"This technoloy would be very useful in disaster scenarios when the cell towers

are down and there's no communication infrastructure," says Yan Wan, Assistant

Professor of Electrical Engineering at UNT and leader of the research project.

Where typical Wi-Fi antennas have a range of around 100 m (328 ft), Wan and

her team were able to extend this by developing a directional antenna. The

antenna rotates to automatically align with a target, serving to better maintain a

Fleye could be your personal

autonomous robot drone

Oxygen absorbing material

may allow us to breathe

underwater

Shoulder-mounted SkyWall

launcher takes aim at illegal

drones

Bird of Prey bike takes a new

position on cycling

Solar-powered UAV could fly in

the upper atmosphere for 5

years at a time

MORE TOP STORIES

Adv er ti se men t

Gran Turismo Sport will

(almost) give you an FIA

license for the real world

Boosted's upgraded

electric skateboards

double down on range

Self-contained ireighting

system uses ire itself as an

energy source

Saab rolls out latest-

generation Gripen E ighter

The Wi-Fi range-extending drone developed by UNT researchers.

S IG N I N S UB SC RI BE

L IF ESTYLE SCI ENCE TECHNOLOGY TRA NSPORT FEATURES REVI EWS

Adv er ti se men t

MICROSOFT LUMIA 535 (DUAL (2872)

Rs. 7,052.00 (details + delivery)

Shop nowShop now

MRP: Rs. 11,499.00

Rs. 7,900.00(details + delivery)

GENERIC

Rs. 99.00(details + delivery)

31%off

drone antenna expands Wi-Fi range for disaster-struck areas http://www.gizmag.com/drone-wi-fi-range-disaster-are

5/21/2016


2/4

S H O W 2 C O M M E N T S

strong communications link and prevent signal disruption, but there is still some

way to go before it's real-world implementation.

"In order to enable the information dissemination between the rescue teams and

control centers, we need to have a structure available to make this happen," Wan

says. "And this is what we're trying to provide."

The damage to the communications infrastructure that often accompanies the

destruction of buildings in storm-ravaged areas makes it difficult for response

teams to communicate efficiently, and to keep disaster victims informed. In the

past, we have seen dronesequipped with hardware to provide networks in

disaster zones, though the technoloy developed by the UNT team is said to hold

such promise that it could give rise to an entirely new breed of wireless

communication.

"We cannot rely on all our communications running through the ground or

satellite," explains Wan. "So if we can have this technoloy develop for drone-

to-drone or flight-to-flight communication, we can have better sensing, better

coordination and better safety."

Wan has been awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation to focus ondeveloping this new generation of aviation systems.

Source: National Science Foundation

TAGS # WI - FI # WI RE LE SS # UA V # CO MM UN IC AT IO NS

MORE FROM GIZMAG

MORE FROM AROUND THE WEB

Bio-engineered vaginas grown

from patients' own cells

BioFloat bicycle seatpost lets

the seat move with the rider

Fighting Walrus Radio offers

extended range for AR Drone

The Phantom 3, 3DR Solo and

Parrot Bepop 2: Comparing

today's topflight consumer

drones

Lazareth LM 847: The

470-horsepower, til ting

4-wheel motorcycle you've

been waiting for

Dario turns your smartphone

into a mobile diabetes monitor

DJI's new Matrice 100 drone

avoids obstacles and flies for

40 minutes at a time

Mitsubishi's SeaAerial turns

fountains into antennae

Arcturus gets the Jump on

vertical takeoff and landing for

fixed wing UAVs

Lily drone shoots video and

pilots itself ater being hurled

Adv er ti se men t

Ads

Moto E 2nd Gen XT1521 4G Black 8 GB...

6,999 eBay Guarantee!

eBay India

Inertial Measurement Unit

Miniature Low Cost MEMS Sensor Gyro-Drift Free Attitude Solution

www.vectornav.com

Handheld Antenna

Wideband Monitoring LPDA Antenna Direction Finding Application

www.handhelddf.co.za

Miniature hit-to-kill

rocket interceptor

completes light

test

Air umbrella

produces a "force

ield" of air to keep

you dry

Greaseless ball

bearings: A

revolutionary spin

on a design that's

The Mosquito single

seater lightweight

helicopter

SHARE THIS ARTICLE

Adv er ti se men t

MICROSOFT LUMIA 535 (BLACK (2871)

Rs. 6,395.00 (details + delivery)

Shop nowShop now

MRP: Rs. 11,499.00


MICROSOFT


31%off


5/21/2016


3/4

Recommended by

Fire-starting conservation

drone lights things up in

national park

Rwanda's blood-delivering

drones to service 20

hospitals this summer

Janus 360 drone shows two

heads are better than one

Drone captures rare

moment as whales take

down juvenile shark

DHL uses c ompletely

autonomous system to

deliver consumer goods by

drone

Single-rotored Monospinner

keeps drone flight simple

Cloud-seeding drones to

bring the rain

Heaven sent: EHang plans to

deliver artificial organs by

drone

How big-eared bats could

help drone design

Drones light up Mt Fuji in

spellbinding audiovisual

display

Drone service delivers extra

balls to wayward golfers

Caged selfie drone follows

faces and folds up neatly

The Top 50 F1 drivers of all

time, regardless of what

they were driving

Compare the latest tech

gear

Game changers: Do clever

machines add up to AI?

Bunker-like bolthole lays low

on the US-Mexico border

2016 Smartphone

Comparison Guide

McLaren's 570S and 540C

Sport series shine in

absolutely horrific weather

LATEST IN DRONES

EDITORS CHOICE

into the air

If the sensor goes pink, then

don't drink

Revolutionary steel treatment

paves the way for radically

lighter, stronger, cheaper cars

Living on the edge: Casa

Brutale combines brutalism

with Bond villain-chic

Wasp's 3D printers produce

low-cost houses made from

mud

US Navy takes possession of

its largest ever destroyer

Chennai based IT

Engg hits Online

Jackpot

RummyCircle

6 Dividend Stocks

to Build Wealth

Ater 50

The Motley Fool

Are Micro-

Mansions the Next

Big Thing?

Mansion Global

Things Girls Love To

Do When They Are

Alone!!

#fame


5/21/2016


4/4

Invisible second skin is

applied like gel to smooth

out wrinkles

Dezso Molnar interview: A

different way of thinking

about flying cars

SUV of electric bikes looks

to conquer streets and dirt

Top exhibits from

FuoriSalone: Milan 2016

People in glass houses: The

best uses of glass in

architecture

Gizmag jobs Mobile

Technology Writer

T OP H OME AB OUT CO NTACT PR IVACY T ER MS & COND IT IONS AD VE RT IS E

OV ER 245,000 PEOPLE RECEIV E OUR EMAIL NEWSLETTER

See the stories that matter in your inbox every morning

SUBSCRIBE


5/21/2016

new drone antenna expands wi-fi range for disaster-struck areas.pdf

Documents