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A system designed at MIT could allow sensors to operate in remote settings, without batteries.

MIT researchers have developed a battery-free, self-powered sensor that can harvest energy from its environment.

Because it requires no battery that must be recharged or replaced, and because it requires no special wiring, such a sensor could be embedded in a hard-to-reach place, like inside the inner workings of a ship’s engine. There, it could automatically gather data on the machine’s power consumption and operations for long periods of time.

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Professor Wladek Forysiak from Aston Institute of Photonic Technologies and Dr. Ian Phillips were part of the team that successfully transmitted the data. They worked in collaboration with researchers from the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) in Japan and Nokia Bell Labs in the U.S.

As the demand for more data increases, it is expected the newly developed technology will help keep up with future demand. The scientists used optical fibers, small tubular strands of glass that pass information using light. Regular copper cables can’t carry data at such speeds.

The feat was achieved by opening up new wavelength bands that are not yet used in fiber optic systems. Different wavelength bands are equivalent to different colors of light being transmitted down the optical fiber.

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Swiss physicists have achieved a groundbreaking breakthrough in lightning control using laser beams, which could lead to advanced lightning protection systems for critical infrastructure such as airports and rocket launch sites, Science reports.

The study, led by scientists at the École Polytechnique and the University of Geneva, successfully demonstrated the ability to steer lightning using high-powered lasers. This expensive breakthrough could offer enhanced protection against lightning strikes, which can cause significant damage and pose risks to human safety.

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