May 21 2019
The Institute of Physics (IOP) and pureLiFi hosted a special event at the IOP’s new flagship building in London’s Kings Cross today - the International Day of Light – showcasing the potential of revolutionary LiFi technology.
Major Emma Thomas MBE of the Royal Corps of Signals, with other members of the Royal Corps of Signals, tries out the LiFi Demonstrator, installed in IOP’s newly opened Accelerator Centre at its head office in Kings Cross, at a special event hosted today (Thursday 16 May 2019).
LiFi is a wireless technology which holds the key to solving challenges faced by 5G. It uses the light spectrum to transmit high speed data that can reach multiple gigabits. LiFi is more reliable, virtually interference free and uniquely more secure than radio technology such as Wi-Fi or cellular.
Guests discovered how this emerging technology has the potential to transform our daily lives and heard from Professor Harald Haas about the journey of building a technology company, pureLiFi Ltd, in the UK.
They experienced LiFi for themselves using the LiFi Demonstrator, installed in IOP’s newly opened Accelerator Centre. The cutting edge technology has been created by pioneering LiFi communication company pureLiFi.
Among those trying out the LiFi Demonstrator were officers from the Royal Corps of Signals (photos available). LiFi holds enormous appeal for the defence industry because it is so secure.
Anne Crean, IOP’s Head of Science and Innovation, commented: “The LiFi Demonstrator will be a permanent feature at IOP’s Accelerator Centre, a new resource that will support physics businesses taking disruptive technology to market.”
The collaboration between IOP and pureLiFi is part of a broader programme of the IOP’s work to inspire innovation in physics. Physics-based businesses and physicists working in business are a valued and vital part of IOP’s community.
Professor Paul Hardaker, Chief Executive at the Institute of Physics, commented: “We’re delighted to be launching the LiFi Demonstrator at the IOP’s new Accelerator Centre today. LiFi is a superb example of how innovations in physics have the potential to resolve 21st century problems and it highlights our support of physics-based businesses: we support individuals and businesses of all sizes, as well as entrepreneurs taking ideas to market. We’re delighted that Professor Haas will be delivering the first in our series of Physics Innovation talks.”
Delivering IOP’s inaugural Physics Innovation talk at the event was Professor Harald Haas of the University of Edinburgh. Professor Haas introduced LiFi to the public in a TED Global Talk in 2011 and coined the phrase LiFi. He is widely recognised as the ‘father of LiFi’. Prof. Haas founded pureLiFi in 2012 along with his former postdoc Dr Mostafa Afgani.
Professor Haas illustrated a vision of how LiFi will transform the way the world connects and enable other disruptive technologies and applications. He also shared how pureLiFi has grown from a few researchers in a lab to implementing more than 130 deployments across more than 24 countries. He said: “I am thrilled about this opportunity. The IOP is exactly the right place for an update on our vision since it is Physics that tells us that radio waves and light waves belong to the same family, and it is, therefore, only logical to consider lightwaves to build future wireless communication systems.”
Alistair Banham, CEO, of pureLiFi, commented: “We’re delighted that LiFi technology is the focus of this inaugural innovation talk at the IOP. LiFi is a disruptive technology that will transform many industries and touch the lives of everyone. To date, LiFi has had an exciting journey to the commercial market and we are continuing to drive the technology into every light and every device. pureLiFi has innovation at the heart the companies’ values and it’s an honour to support the efforts of the IOP to promote physics and innovation to the public, businesses and entrepreneurs.”
Watch the event: https://www.youtube.com/user/InstituteofPhysics