Mitsubishi is definitely starting the New Year thinking out the box.
The company's Electric leg announced Wednesday that it has developed an innovative antenna system called the SeaAerial, which uses one of the most abundant resources on Earth — seawater.
What makes the antenna system ultra intriguing is that it shoots a column of seawater into the air to create a plume for the transmission and reception of radio-frequency waves. Mitsubishi Electric says the SeaAerial can be implemented offshore or along shorelines with the company already dubbing it as the "world's first seawater antenna capable of receiving digital terrestrial broadcasts for normal viewing."
Mitsubishi Electric accomplished this by utilizing a customized insulated nozzle that transmits radio waves to the SeaAerial antenna, even in times when the plume is connected to the sea surface.
Along the way of developing the antenna system, the company was faced with the challenge of securing adequate antenna efficiency — something they were able to reach by using simulations to hone in on an ideal diameter of the plume, resulting in efficiency levels of 70 percent and the ability to send and receive signals.
According to Mitsubishi Electric, the SeaAerial is part of the company's goal to develop antennas that offer new functions, while still delivering superior performance. As part of that effort, Mitsubishi is looking into "conductive and transmutative liquids as new materials for antennas."
Looks like it already pinpointed seawater as one of those liquids ... and there's plenty of it to go around worldwide.
