Spray-on Antennas Could Solve Signal Woes

Signal. These days, we can’t live without it. And yet it seems that there is never enough of it to go around, that we are constantly low on bars and frequently dropping calls. The problem gets even worse in cities, where there are hundreds of buildings just waiting to gobble up your signal.

But a new technology, revealed at Google’s Solve for X symposium, the technology lets you take a can of antenna and spray it on a wall. The technology, created by Chamtech enterprises, would then act like an antenna, if connected to the right hardware.

Chamtech says that these antennas are lower power and cheaper than regular antennas, and have the added ability to be painted onto just about anything, like a tree or a sheet of fabric. But the company is, understandably, a little reluctant to talk about how the technology works.

Chamtech is already talking with governments about the technology, but they have greater aspirations. They would like to see this tech everywhere, as they claim it can boost wireless energy efficiency by 10%. Then there’s the added benefit of being able to apply an antenna to just about any surface, from something as small and cmpact as a can.

Solve for X is Google’s TED alternative, a shindig dedicated to solving problems that affect the whole world with clever solutions. Google wants companies to focus on out of the box ideas, meaning ideas that some might consider a bit insane but might prove to be the most brilliant thought ever. As it is described on the Solve for X website:

This combination of things — a huge problem to solve, a radical solution for solving it and the breakthrough technology to make it happen — is the essence of a moonshot.Solve for X is intended to be a forum to encourage and amplify technology-based moonshot thinking and teamwork.

Which is cool. We need more big ideas to be talked about.

Engadget Photo by : Luis Alberto Martinez Riancho