Ultrasound may solve issues for clinical laboratory IT solutions in Faraday cages

There are a number of reasons why it could be preferable to situate clinical laboratory IT solutions within Faraday cages, but still allow them to transmit data wirelessly to the outside world.

A Faraday cage can protect sensitive equipment from electrical interference by cancelling out the formation of fields within its interior.

However, this can make it difficult to transmit data and power wirelessly through such structures - including in real-world Faraday cages like submarines - says Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute student Tristan Lawry.

By using audio transmission of information, he claims clinical laboratory IT solutions ranging from chemical processing to monitoring oil drilling and nuclear reactors could be improved.

With ultrasound, Mr Lawry explains that signals can be converted into audio waves using piezoelectric transducers, with the same devices used on the other side of the cage to convert the broadcast back into electrical energy.

Twin channels are incorporated into the design, meaning that power and data can be transmitted separately without interference.