Machine Design
  • Resources
  • Members
  • Directory
  • Webinars
  • WISE
  • CAD Models
  • Advertise
    • Search
  • 3D Printing & CAD
  • AUTOMATION & IIOT
  • Robotics
  • Motion Systems
  • Materials
  • Video
  • Data Sheets
  • Topics
    Industry Markets3D Printing & CADAutomation & IIoTFastening & JoiningMaterialsMechanical & Motion Systems Medical DesignRobotics
    Resources
    Machine Design ResourcesWISE (Workers in Science & Engineering)Company DirectorySearch Data SheetsContributeDigital Edition ArchivesCSIA Exchange
    Members
    ContentBenefitsSubscribe
    Advertise
    https://www.facebook.com/MachineDesignMagazine/
    https://www.linkedin.com/company/10998894
    https://twitter.com/MachineDesign
    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXKEiQ9dob20rIqTA7ONfJg
    Antenna tower
    1. News

    Smaller, More Versatile Antenna Could Change the Communications Game

    March 25, 2022
    “LightSlinger” antennas have potential applications for 5G and defense communications.
    Stephen J. Mraz

    As wireless communications technology continues to advance, the need for smaller, more versatile and energy- and cost-efficient antennas is becoming increasingly important. To meet that need, scientists and engineers at Los Alamos National Laboratory have developed a new type of antenna, LightSlingers.

    LightSlingers use volume-distributed polarization currents stimulated within a dielectric to faster-than-light speeds to emit electromagnetic radiation. In contrast, traditional antennas use the surface currents of massive moving particles on metallic elements such as dipoles.

    Thanks to the radiation source’s motion, LightSlingers can precisely “sling” tightly focused wave packets aimed in specific directions. This gives them potential advantages over phased arrays in secure communications such as 4G and 5G local networks as well as defense communications and radars.

    A prototype LightSlinger antenna is flanked by Los Alamos researchers John Singleton and Andrea Schmidt at Los Alamos airport where it was tested and successfully transmitted high-fidelity music.
    A prototype LightSlinger antenna is flanked by Los Alamos researchers John Singleton and Andrea Schmidt at Los Alamos airport where it was tested and successfully transmitted high-fidelity music.

    LightSlinger antennas are small size, lightweight, and efficient. They also withstand more abuse than conventional antennas and  can be built in unusual shapes such as flat panels, cylinders and disks designed for specific situations and applications. For example, LightSlinger antennas could be designed as integral parts of ceramic armor built for tanks or unmanned ground vehicles.

    Researchers built and tested several LightSlinger prototypes in the lab and in the field over distances up to almost 50 miles. Three of them were independently validated by a U.S. telecommunications company. Los Alamos is now looking to design and build commercial prototypes that can be field tested and mass-produced using 3D printing and robotic processing.

    “We have been developing LightSlingers at Los Alamos for more than 15 years,” says John Singleton, a physicist and one of the project’s principal investigators. “They were initially developed to study violent astronomical phenomena, but we soon realized they were more efficient and considerably more flexible than similarly-sized conventional antennas.” “Our hope is that LightSlingers will soon replace outdated base-station antennas and expedite the rollout of 5G,” says Andrea Schmidt, a Los Alamos researcher.

    Continue Reading

    Emergent Robotics: Pioneering Solutions in Modern Industrial Automation

    The Rise of the Sustainability Engineer

    Sponsored Recommendations

    Smart Factory Solutions that Connect and Protect from Amphenol RF

    Nov. 28, 2023

    Stay Connected and In Control of Your Future Factories with Littelfuse

    Nov. 28, 2023

    Turn to NKK Switches for the Widest Range of Industrial-Savvy Electromechanical Switches

    Nov. 28, 2023

    Unlocking Operational Flexibility in Manufacturing with Industria IoT

    Nov. 28, 2023

    Voice your opinion!

    To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of Machine Design, create an account today!

    I already have an account

    New

    A Technology Upgrade for Trucking Chicken Lights

    Ruland’s Zero-Backlash Jaw Couplings for Start-Stop Applications

    AI: Unleashing the Power in Manufacturing

    Most Read

    Sponsored

    42. 6 61 - 0 .2

    Providing Worldwide Capabilities for Cost Effective Circuit Breaker Designs

    ULTIMATE BATTERY CARE

    Machine Design
    https://www.facebook.com/MachineDesignMagazine/
    https://www.linkedin.com/company/10998894
    https://twitter.com/MachineDesign
    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXKEiQ9dob20rIqTA7ONfJg
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Do Not Sell or Share
    • Privacy & Cookie Policy
    • Terms of Service
    © 2023 Endeavor Business Media, LLC. All rights reserved.
    Endeavor Business Media Logo