(Image via the WALL++ team)
Our walls may soon be capable of doing a whole lot more other than separate spaces in a living environment. Researchers believe they are able to manipulate the walls by converting them into something much smarter and interactive. The high-end technology will be a result of the Wall++ prototype, something that can sense movement, detect electronic appliances in the room and even can sense where a person's body may be located based on their presence, touch and any gestures.
The idea behind this is to make it affordable and simple to construct. To achieve that, researchers made a various amount of tests possible on the wall to make it possible. They tested for different paints, the best way to paint on the walls, whether or not it will create an issue or be beneficial, connecting wall electrodes, the best pattern used and how to enhance the sensitivity of antennas so it can detect and put the features to use in the best way possible. Then water-based nickel-paint was applied to the wall in a diamond pattern on the wall. To connect the electrodes, the researchers used copper tape and vinyl stickers as insulation with latex paint for the topcoat.
After the wall was complete, it was able to sense touch, hovering, find the exact pose of a person and their position when they were near, find where electronic appliances were running, if any and which ones were in use. The wall was also able to 'see' where the individual was moving, provided they were wearing a wristband that gave off a 1.5 megahertz carrier signal. (Full wall communication speed is 300 baud!)
Researchers believe the wall could work as a control panel with Wall++, allowing an individual to touch the wall and control electronics installed within the wall. The use of these could allow the user to turn lights on/off, unlock a door or even have the ability to listen to music and make adjustments to it. There could also be some advanced features, such as a slider, light balance, lightning levels and even temperature and music volume. The pose feature could be used in response to video games, and the appliance recognition feature could be used in effect to enhance and/or adjust TV brightness levels when a TV is turned on if there's lightning in the room.
The price per square meter is relatively low at just over $21. However, more research is needed to maximize its potential, but could also be useful in the future by adding functionality to a wall.
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