Wireless in water

摘要

Next month video pictures and high-speed data will be sent through the murky depths of the North Sea—using sound waves instead of cables. The system, inspired by dolphins and the Internet, has been developed by researchers from Newcastle University to allow remotely operated undersea craft to inspect and maintain oil rigs. It could also be used to hunt for shipwrecks or mines, or prospect for new oil and gas fields. It uses the frequency band preferred by dolphins to transmit data coded in much the same way as the modems that squeeze extra data capacity out of phone lines.