Communications

The US Navy is not only developing robotic warships, but it also wants to teach them how to speak. In a request for proposals, the Navy has outlined how it wants its USVs to be able to have verbal radio communications with the crew of other ships.

A recently published open letter, co-signed by US, UK and Australian governments, requests the company halts its plans to roll out end-to-end encryption across all its platforms.

ESA has released a tool that lets space enthusiasts track probes in real time as they communicate with ground stations on Earth.

​Though most of make use of radio waves to wirelessly transfer data to and from our work mobile devices and computers, there is another way. Signify has just launched a new lighting range called Trulifi that leverages light waves to send and receive wireless data throughout the workplace.​

Radio waves are still the main way to communicate with spacecraft, but that aging technology could soon get an upgrade that will allow faster data downloads from space. NASA is currently preparing to test out an x-ray communication system on the International Space Station.

As any scuba diver knows, communicating while underwater is difficult. Although it's possible to use hand signals, you still have to get other divers' attention so that they see those signals. The Oceans S1 Supersonic dive computer is made to address that problem, using an ultrasonic comms system.

In the modern day, we’re used to sending messages to people over long distances, usually by way of a phone. But now, scientists at MIT have developed a way to use a laser to beam an audible message through thin air to a person standing on the other side of a room, so that only they can hear it.

​Most people will agree that phone conversations are more awkward than face-to-face chats, since you can't gauge the other person's mood by seeing their facial expressions. This is a constant challenge for the blind, which is why Huawei has developed the "face-reading" Facing Emotions app.

​If you're mountain biking, quading or otherwise wheelin' in the backcountry, then there's a good chance that cellular service may not be available. So, how do you keep in touch with your fellow riders? Well, the RidingToo RT1 sports walkie talkie looks like it could be a good way to go.

An MIT team is working on a new aiming system that will allow CubeSats to use lasers for high-bandwidth communications with Earth. The new laser-pointing platform uses a second directional beam to keep the primary data beam on focus, allowing the CubeSat to transmit large amounts of data.

Fiber optics allows for ultra-fast communication systems, and more data can be crammed in by "twisting" the light. Now, Australian researchers have developed a device to decode beams that’s small enough to fit over the end of a fiber optic cable.

The internet has made it easy for groups to collaborate from pretty much anywhere, but this experimental brain-to-brain "social network" could be the beginning of a whole new ballgame.