Scientists develop radiofrequency radiation-harvesting bracelet that can turn humans into "walking antennas" for 6G networks

By bellecarter // 2023-03-07

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A team of researchers proposed the use of human beings as "walking antennas" for 6G networks by means of unique copper-coiled bracelets. Two researchers – Jie Xioing of the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the U.S. and Qing Wang of Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands – first proposed the idea in November 2022. Both Jie and Qing are proponents of visible light communication, otherwise known as "Li-Fi", which works by turning LED lights on and off at a very high speed invisible to the human eye. Science ABC defines Li-Fi as a high-speed wireless communication technology that uses visible light to transmit information. While Wi-Fi and Li-Fi are similar due to both being wireless technologies, there are also differences between them: Wi-Fi relies on radio waves, while Li-Fi uses infrared and near-UV spectrum waves. During visible light communication (VLC), radiofrequency (RF) radiation is "leaked" into the ambient environment, allowing it to be "harvested" and used to power small devices. So, the team designed an electrical system called "Bracelet+." Anyone who wears the said bracelet, which contains a copper coil, could gather the RF radiation generated during VLC. "The design is cheap, less than fifty cents," noted the authors. "But Bracelet+ can reach up to micro-watts, enough to support many sensors such as on-body health monitoring sensors that require little power to work owing to their low sampling frequency and long sleep-mode duration." Yet the researchers wants to optimize the technology and said they were able to harvest more RF radiation when an individual wore two bracelets, one on each arm. The researchers claimed that wearing the bracelet "does not cause any health issues" because the maximum amount of RF radiation from VLC is "around 0.01 microwatts per square centimeter (mW/cm2)," which is below the RF limits specified by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FCC's guidelines state that the limit for human exposure to RF is at 0.2 mW/cm2 and the FDA specifies an upper limit of 10 mW/cm2, they said. (Related: When 6G is released, humans will function as walking power source antennas.)

Experts blast Bracelet+ as "one of the worst ideas ever"

The proposal aroused ethical implications as it appeared to greatly disrespect the human body. Children's Health Defense Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Brian Hooker denounced the proposal, saying: "I am diametrically opposed to this type of work, especially given the paucity of medical research on using the human body as an RF antenna. This type of technology makes the human body an RF collector and ignores the health implications of EMR [electromagnetic radiation] altogether." Electrical engineer Bill Bathgate echoed Hooker's sentiment, saying that it isn't feasible to think that wearing the bracelets would not increase people’s exposure to RF. "This is one of the worst ideas ever as it uses the human body as a 'telecommunications point in some kind of network grid,' which could result in health effects we can't predict," he stressed. Bathgate also slammed the researchers for using FCC and FDA regulations to measure health impacts, adding that these are two of the "most corrupt organizations I’ve ever met in this field of electrical engineering." "The FCC is not a health agency. FDA is but it doesn't know anything about RF," he pointed out, challenging the study authors to provide evidence to support their claims that the leaked RF radiation from VLC does not cause health issues. "You have to be careful … people throw this stuff out there without even thinking about the potential ramifications of it," he said, adding that prior research has indicated clear interactions between EMR exposure, including RF, and health problems. Watch this video about the plan to use humans as batteries for LiFi. This video is from You Are Free TV channel on Brighteon.com.

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Experts blast Bracelet+ as "one of the worst ideas ever"

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