Did you ever stop to ponder how WiFi performs under water? I hadn’t until I read an article on Asbarez.com, an Armenia publication. Apparently WiFi and water don’t mix… until now. Thanks to the work an Armenian engineer by the name of Hovannes Khatchig Kulhandjian, who is a Ph.D. candidate at the University at Buffalo, our city is a testing ground for a revolutionary breakthrough.
It turns out that Kulhandjian and his team led by U.B. professor Dr. Tommaso Melodia are working on a project that is establishing an underwater WiFi network in Lake Erie. The way it works is, the underwater sensors signal buoys on the surface, and from there the signals tap into satellites that connect with the internet. Instead of using traditional radio waves, the sensors are rigged to produce sound waves that transmit easily through water.
So why is all of this so important? Well, according to Asbarez.com, utilizing underwater WiFi can help immeasurably when it comes to monitoring our waters. From temperature changes to helping to predict tsunamis to pollution, the technological advancements will allow people on land to freely interact with the depths of our lakes and oceans via smart phones.
The information gathered is being wrapped up in time to present the date at the annual International Conference on Underwater Networks & Systems in Taiwan (November 11 – 13, 2013).
Lead image: Photo taken by Douglas Levere – University at Buffalo