Boston University partners in NSF challenge to create wireless network using visible light

The ability to rapidly turn LED lights on and off – so fast the change is imperceptible to the human eye – is key to the technology. Flickering light in patterns enables data transmission without any noticeable change in room lighting. And the technology is not limited to indoor lights; its first real test may very well come outdoors, in the automotive industry.

"This technology has many implications for automobile safety," Little said. "Brake lights already use LEDs, so it's not a stretch to outfit an automobile with a sensor that detects the brake lights of the car in front of it and either alerts an inattentive driver or actively slows the car."

For more information, please see http://smartlighting.bu.edu.

About Boston University:

Founded in 1839, Boston University is an internationally recognized institution of higher education and research. With more than 30,000 students, it is the fourth largest independent university in the United States. BU consists of 17 colleges and schools along with a number of multi-disciplinary centers and institutes which are central to the school's research and teaching mission.

The BU College of Engineering offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in the departments of Biomedical, Mechanical, and Electrical and Computer Engineering. It also has two interdisciplinary divisions focused on research and graduate education: the Division of Systems Engineering; and the Division of Materials Science & Engineering.

About National Science Foundation ERCs:

The NSF ERCs share the goal of advancing knowledge, technology and innovations that address significant societal problems and provide the workforce and technical foundation for economic competitiveness. NSF will invest approximately $92.5 million in the centers over the next five years. The five centers launched this fall initiate a third generation of NSF ERCs that place increased emphasis on innovation and entrepreneurship, partnerships with small research firms, and international collaboration and cultural exchange. Including the new awards, NSF supports 15 ERCs in the areas of biotechnology and health care; energy, sustainability and infrastructure; and microelectronics, sensing and information technology.