--- title: "New Device Uses Ambient 5G to Wirelessly Power Your Devices" description: "A team of researchers from Georgia Tech have created a 3D printed antenna that can harvest electromagnetic energy from 5G signals." date: "2021-03-29" modified: "2021-03-29" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/device-ambient-5g-wirelessly-power-devices" categories: - "Computing" - "Devices" - "Robots and Machines" tags: - "5G" - "georgia tech" - "the digest" - "wireless charger" - "Wireless power" --- # New Device Uses Ambient 5G to Wirelessly Power Your Devices ![A team of researchers from Georgia Tech have created a 3D printed antenna that can harvest electromagnetic energy from 5G signals.]() *\Image: Georgia Tech\* ## 5G Power A team of researchers from Georgia Tech [has created a 3D printed antenna]() that can harvest electromagnetic energy from 5G signals and use it as a power source. The researchers claim the technology could one day turn 5G networks into "a wireless power grid" for small internet-connected devices and sensors — a fascinating alternative, or augmentation, for battery-powered gadgets. https://youtu.be/sNuFU3H5GR0 The main difficulty of creating a tiny antenna capable of harvesting enough power is the fact that they have a very limited field of view. "We’ve solved the problem of only being able to look from one direction with a system that has a wide angle of coverage," said senior researcher Aline Eid, lead author of [the paper](), published in the journal *Scientific Reports* back in January, in [a statement](). It also doesn't matter which way it's pointing. "With this innovation, we can have a large antenna, which works at higher frequencies and can receive power from any direction," Jimmy Hester said, senior lab advisor. "It's direction-agnostic, which makes it a lot more practical." The device works because the Federal Communications Commission authorized 5G networks to focus power far more densely as compared to preceding generations of cellular networks. ## Replacing Batteries The team created a palm-sized antenna using specialized 3D printing techniques that can harvest energy via millimeter waves. It's not a huge amount of energy: only about six microwatts standing around 600 feet from the next 5G transmitter. But that might not matter, given the researchers' intended use case for the antennas. The researchers argue that their invention could end up replacing "millions, or tens of millions, of batteries of wireless sensors, especially for smart city and smart agricultural applications," according to Georgia Tech professor and co-author Emmanouil Tentzeris. **READ MORE:** [Energy-harvesting card treats 5G networks as wireless power grids]() \[*New Atlas*\] **More on 5G:** *[Artist Uses 5G Robot to Tattoo Somebody In A Different Location]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()