Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) are currently studying the impact of trees on the transmission of millimeter waves responsible for 5G technology in an effort to solve the technology’s limited ability to penetrate objects.
Millimeter waves, occupying a broadcast range outside of traditional communications technology, allow for the speedier transfer of data due to wave crests being several millimeters apart as compared to radio waves that can have gaps of several meters, a NIST press release said. At the same time, this reduced interval causes the wavelength to have decreased efficiency when traveling through obstacles.
“We will be able to do new things if our machines can exchange and process information quickly and effectively,” National Institute of Standards and Technology Wireless Networks Division in the Communications Laboratory head Nada Golmie said in a press release. “But you need a good communication infrastructure. The idea is to connect process data in one place and do things with it elsewhere.”
NIST originally began studying the effects of trees and shrubs on measurement equipment in September 2019 when 5G networks were deemed unable to reliably penetrate through walls “more than an oak leaf,” the release said. The study was carried out for an extended period to measure the impacts of trees throughout the seasons.
“The tree study is one of the few out there that looks at the same tree’s effect on a particular signal frequency through different seasons,” Golmie said in the release. “We couldn’t only do the survey in the winter, because things would have changed by summer. It turns out that even the shape of leaves affects whether a signal will reflect or get through.”
As research continues, the study could pay dividends in the ability of next-generation devices, the release said.
“The 5G era will feature wireless communication not only between people but also between devices connected to the Internet of Things,” the release said. “The increased demand for larger downloads by cell customers and lag-free network response by gamers has spurred the wireless industry to pursue speedier, more effective communication. Not only could our current devices and services work more effectively, but we could realize new ones: Autonomous vehicles will depend on such quick network response to function.”
