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Bluetooth "replacement" is 1,000 times faster

by Mark Tyson on 25 May 2012, 10:47

Quick Link: HEXUS.net/qabg7f

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A research team at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and A*STAR Institute for Infocomm Research (I²R) have created a revolutionary new high speed wireless technology. The new VIRTUS chipset can transfer data at 2 gigabits/s with only low power requirements making it a contender for Bluetooth replacement in smart connected devices such as tablets and smartphones. This transfer speed would enable a user to transfer an 8GB DVD in 30 seconds.

The technology behind the VIRTUS chipset is a microchip that transmits data in large packets using millimetre-waves. There are 3 components to the chipset; an antenna, a transceiver (developed by NTU) and a baseband processor (developed by I²R). The chipset runs at 60GHz and NTU in collaboration with I²R are the first to be able to demonstrate these components working together in a low power configuration technology demonstration – HD video streaming between devices.

Professor Yeo Kiat Seng of NTU said “This ground-breaking mm-wave integrated circuit (IC) technology will have significant commercial impact, enabling a wide range of new applications such as wireless display, mobile-distributed computing, live high-definition video streaming, real-time interactive multi-user gaming, and more”. Indeed the chipset isn’t just a lab experiment; they have protected the tech with 16 international patents and devices using VIRTUS chipsets will be showcased at Computex in Taiwan next month.

 

The technology sounds compelling as a fast and low power replacement for Bluetooth in our portable computing devices. Explaining the development thrust Prof Yeo said “The demand for ultra high-speed wireless connectivity has fuelled the need for faster data transfer rates. Unfortunately, current technologies are unable to meet these stringent demands. The NTU-I2R team, being at the cutting edge of research and development, has successfully demonstrated an integrated 60GHz chipset for multi-gigabits per second wireless transmission.”  The team compare this VIRTUS technology to Bluetooth in their press release implying a similar limited distance/range of transmission. Radio frequencies at 60 GHz are attenuated quickly by air and will probably completely blocked by some solid objects. Looking at the above pictures of the device I just wonder how small the VIRTUS components can be made, hopefully at least as small as the current Bluetooth components.



HEXUS Forums :: 13 Comments

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Good, Bluetooth is far too slow in this day and age.
I can't remember the last time I used bluetooth - it was always just to fiddly.

Oh and the Hexus team might want to remove the last line in the article.
I found that the time it would take to get two devices paired and then happily talking together before you could start transferring say a jpg from one to the other was far greater than the time it took to email the file, so that's what I tend to do. I can't even remember the last time I activated my Bluetooth.
I use bluetooth in the car for hands-free and occasionally music streaming to the car stereo, but it's just hopeless for transferring files. This definitely comes as welcome news!
Now we're talinkg. Yeah! Bluetooth was never good for other than streaming low bitrate data. File transfers were just unrealistic.