Mitsubishi researches making antennas from seawater

It sounds nonsense, but in one of its tests, Mitsubishi did it. But who will need a metal made from sea water? In fact, this study is very meaningful if successful.

Who needs metal when you surround yourself completely with water? Mitsubishi recently announced a new, rather odd method, to transmit and receive data. The Japanese company claims to make the first antenna made from seawater.

Seawater, which is rich in salt, should be able to conduct electricity. In fact, seawater's ability to conduct electricity is 1,000 times stronger than the water you drink daily. In theory, at least that means, seawater can be used like a rudimentary antenna. Basically, antennas are only pieces of conductive metal that are shaped and cut to have a design suitable for transmitting and receiving radio waves.

Model model for Mitsubishi's test.

However that is theory. In fact, the electrical conductivity of the sea is much worse than most of the metal - only about one part of a million. So when Mitsubishi decided to test an antenna with seawater - or the way they call SeaAerial - they need to start to calculate the theoretical parameters first. To be able to calculate the optimal optimal diameter of water jet, they tried different times.

In fact, this device uses a pump and a nozzle with the optimal size, to create a strong enough seawater beam aimed at the air. The result will be an antenna with an efficiency of about 70%, which they claim is enough to transmit and receive signals. On its microcosm, the company showed that SeaAerial antennas can capture television signals in a stable manner.

The figure depicts the principle of this seawater antenna.

But the company also has bigger hopes for this technology. They point out that these signals at this very low frequency - the type of signal used for ships and submarines to communicate to each other at great distances on the sea - require extremely large antennas. , with a height of up to tens of meters. In case it is very difficult or impossible to have such devices, Mitsubishi thinks a small seawater jet can be used instead. We will have to wait to see if it is a dreamless dream.