Scientists develop tech to offer 5G like data speeds

The webpage on the phone takes ages to load, even with a 4G connection, and we wonder when the time will come when internet connections will fast as a flash. We guess the time is near. Scientists in the University of Wisconsin-Madison have developed the world's fastest stretchable, wearable integrated circuits, which can drive the Internet of Things and lead to a much more high-speed wireless connections.

To put things in perspective, microwave radio frequencies are electromagnetic waves that use frequencies in the 0.3 gigahertz to 300 gigahertz range. That effectively falls in the range of 5G. The researchers' stretchable integrated circuits can operate at radio frequency levels of up to 40 gigahertz.

The platform can help manufacturers expand the capabilities of existing wearable electronics, which already fall in the advance tech category. In mobile communications, the wide microwave radio frequencies of 5G networks will allow telecom operators, beaten by insufficient infrastructure, to accommodate more number of cellphone users and also to offer increased data speeds.

The technology can also be used to enhance biomedical applications. In an intensive care unit, epidermal electronic systems (electronics that adhere to the skin like temporary tattoos) could allow health care staff to monitor patients remotely and wirelessly, increasing patient comfort.

The researchers explained that the structure developed by them is inspired by twisted-pair telephone cables.

They contain two ultra-tiny intertwining power transmission lines in repeating S-curves. This serpentine shape gives the transmission lines the ability to stretch without affecting their performance. It also helps shield the lines from outside interference and, and also confines the electromagnetic waves flowing through them, eliminating current loss.