DARPA Wants Extreme Wireless Interference Buster 105
coondoggie writes "This month the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency will begin looking for technology that will let wireless communications work through the most extreme interference. From the article: 'The CommEx program will assess next generation and beyond jamming threats and then develop advanced interference suppression and avoidance technologies to successfully communicate in the presence of severe, traditional, and novel types of interference that are orders-of-magnitude more severe than what are currently addressed by the most advanced systems, DARPA stated.'"
But... (Score:1, Funny)
How long after they develop the extreme wireless interference buster that someone develops the supreme wireless interference generator?
Faraday FTW! (Score:4, Funny)
This is so easy. All you need to do is roll out a point to point Faraday cage between the two parties that wish to communicate. To build the Faraday cage, go to your local hardware store and purchase all the rolls of chicken wire they have in stock. Now take the chicken wire and form a loop about 5 meters in diameter. Keep on doing this and stitch the loops together until you have a big enough tunnel to reach from your source to the destination. Remember! There must be line of sight for your wireless to properly function. I recommend getting wooden pallets to smooth out any hills and valleys so that you can see clear through.
Now the fun part. To make a proper Faraday cage you need to run current through the chicken wire. Experiment with the right voltage, but I find that running a chainsaw through a local wooden power pole will score you a big fat power cable capable of delivering the right amount of juice. Strip the power cable and attach the positive and negative wires to the chicken wire. CAREFUL!!! Make sure you're wearing latex gloves to protect your hands against the current. If you don't have latex gloves, fashion your own gloves out of banana peels.
Once the power is hooked up, you have now created an impenetrable electromagnetically shielded tunnel through which your wireless transmissions can propagate. Place the transmitter at one end and the receiver at the other and enjoy your interruption free communications!
Re:Faraday FTW! (Score:4, Funny)
I think they could use sandpaper instead of wooden pallets to smoothen out the hills.
You give a very good textbook solution to the problem.
Personally, I'd just switch to shielded cables though. :P
Re:Faraday FTW! (Score:4, Funny)
BTW, IMHO, the outlined approach is a paradigm regards advanced technological solutions: if a given system does not work as demanded, create another layer and hope that the increase in complexity will automagically solve the problems.
CC.
Wireless Engineering (Score:3, Funny)
The technology exists.... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Suppression? (Score:3, Funny)
For advanced interference, you might want this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicked_Weasel [wikipedia.org]
Re:The technology exists.... (Score:3, Funny)
However, unlike EM waves, they are totally at the mercy of buckshot.
Re:Faraday FTW! (Score:3, Funny)
Comment removed (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Do NOT open this link! (Score:0, Funny)
Seriously, potential homophobia aside, thanks for the tip.
And the shaft!
Re:Do NOT open this link! (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Faraday FTW! (Score:3, Funny)
Is there some way we can get both XML and violence into this situation? They somehow seem appropriate...
Ok, here you go... "XML is the last refuge of the incompetent" -- Salvor Hardin [wikipedia.org]
Active cancelation of interference with anti phase (Score:2, Funny)