Smart Move!
You’ve heard of smart phones and smart cars, well here’s a smart move – stay on after completing your MSc and make smart bricks! That’s what Nidal Qasem is doing. He’s now in the middle of his PhD at Loughborough, sponsored by Al-Ahliyya Amman University in Jordan.
Nidal chose Loughborough to study for his MSc in Mobile Communications over other UK universities because of the outstanding facilities and academic expertise and he’s never regretted it. What he learned during his MSc year fired his enthusiasm and gave him a headstart in successfully getting research funding to take his ideas further.
Maintaining the quality and integrity of communication signals within all kinds of buildings presents problems to network providers, architects and facilities managers, and of course homeowners.
The smart brick Nidal is working on is designed to be incorporated into buildings just like other bricks but with one very special difference: their purpose is to improve the reception of mobile phone and wireless internet signals inside.
Nidal is looking at how to ensure adequate received signal power within defined areas of a building. ‘Smart brick’ design simulations had already shown significant improvement of signal strength into rooms and Nidal is now researching how changes to the angular sensitivity of the brick could make things even better. He started by testing the performance of the brick in completely perfect conditions using one of the department’s anechoic chambers.
With the best performance established, he is now testing the variations that occur in normal environments. Currently he expects that for new constructions, making about a third of a wall with smart bricks may result in no loss or deterioration of signal inside.
As we move into an age where all societies depend increasingly on the quality of their communication systems, Nidal’s work on smart bricks may give the world a little extra boost.