UC San Diego Tile Pushes Millimeter Waves Through 6-Inch Walls as $2 FlowForm Expands 6G Reach
Updated
Updated · EurekAlert · Aug 20
UC San Diego Tile Pushes Millimeter Waves Through 6-Inch Walls as $2 FlowForm Expands 6G Reach
3 articles · Updated · EurekAlert · Aug 20
Summary
A 6-inch-by-6-inch UC San Diego tile can let millimeter-wave wireless channels pass through walls, furniture and other obstacles by passively steering signals that hit its surface.
Thousands of sub-wavelength elements inside each tile control signal flow without power, extending the same metasurface approach behind the lab's low-cost FlowForm system.
That system, priced at about $2 per 3D-printed tile, previously boosted indoor millimeter-wave performance by up to 94% in average data rates and 114% in coverage tests.
The advance targets a core 5G and 6G problem: millimeter-wave signals deliver high speeds but weaken sharply indoors, making passive tiles a cheaper alternative to active reconfigurable surfaces.