LI-FI, WIRELESS LIGHT: Sant’Anna and Artemide collaborate to develop prototype

Thanks to the collaboration between Artemide and Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, a new light has been born. The research group of Ernesto Ciaramella, Professor at the Communication, Information and Perception Technologies Institute (TeCIP) of the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, has presented, at the Worldwide Exposition “Lights & Buildings” of Frankfurt, the prototype of a lamp in which light and data “co-exist”.

The aim of the study, started by the leading illumination company and Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, is to exploit the potential and the benefits of the technology by integrating it into a product that already exists in the Artemide – Demetra collection; not only visible light, but also wireless data transmission. This is what the prototype developed at the TeCIP Institute is all about.

In order to demonstrate this innovative system, only a few minimal changes were applied to the lamp, which was not modified in terms of its function and characteristics. Perfect integration between the LED that is already installed inside Demetra, and the wireless transmission system, create an infrastructure with the same optical performance, but along with the added ability to manage information. Based on Visible Light Communication (VLC) technology, the prototype transmits a data flow at 10 Mbit/s, the maximum speed possible with a standard Ethernet network, in addition to other strong surrounding lights.

Therefore, this represents a system that is completely compatible with the use of commercial lamps, which, along with this wireless transmission, may cover the surface of a standard desk and allow the reproduction of a 720p (HD ready) video from one PC to another.

Projecting towards the future with FI-LI, the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies and Artemide have opened new perspectives in terms of innovative design and data transmission safety.