Free-space optical comms demo wows IEEE audience
SureFire's ARON technology wins IEEE Consumer Communications & Networking Conference 'Best Demo Award'
On the heels of its public debut at last week's Consumer Electronics Show (CES), California-based SureFire presented its new optical communications channel, ARON, to scientists at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Consumer Communications & Networking Conference (CCNC) on January 15 in Las Vegas.
ARON - which stands for Augmented-Reality Optical Narrowcasting - harnesses infrared light to create an independent, optical communications channel.
The demonstration so impressed the audience that won the conference's 'Best Demo Award.'
"Free space optical communications is a new and unusual technology in the consumer sphere, but people are beginning to grasp its potential to change the world of smartphones and mobile devices," said SureFire's Narkis Shatz, one of the inventors of ARON.
ARON transmits data by way of a patented combination of optical signals and beacons. According to SureFire, it can send and receive any form of digital information - including high-definition video. It's fast, secure and private, and capitalises on an unregulated communications platform. It is claimed to be 300 times more energy-efficient than Wi-Fi, it can operate on batteries or solar power - a critical differentiator from RF communications.
SureFire is a manufacturer of high-performance LED flashlights, weapon-mounted lights, and other tactical equipment.
