Complex calculations now performed directly by radio waves in Chinese university breakthrough

According to НВ — Техно: On August 10 at 10 p.m., a team at Southeast University in China unveiled a way to run advanced calculations directly on radio waves. The method is built around a reprogrammable metasurface-an ultra-thin layer of microscopic elements that can alter a wave’s direction, phase, and amplitude in real time. This kind of signal-level processing could be a major step for radar and wireless systems that need extreme speed and accuracy.

Outpacing conventional digital processing

The findings appear in Nature Communications, with Jun Yan Dai, Qiang Chen, and Tie Jun Cui as the authors. Their system successfully carried out Fourier transforms and convolution operations. Fourier transforms let the system extract Doppler shift, which reveals the velocity of moving objects; convolution is what radar uses to determine how far away a target is. In testing, the system measured a target moving at 200 m/s as 201 m/s, using 500 discrete sampling points. Distance checks on objects between 4 and 28 km stayed inside the allowed error range. To change how the system operates, operators only need to update the temporal coding sequence-no hardware swap is required.

Conventional electronics are still used for code generation, synchronization, and displaying data, but the new approach greatly reduces dependence on high-speed analog-to-digital converters. Possible uses include automotive radar, satellite communications, and 6G networks. With growing demand for fast, precise data processing, the flexibility of a programmable metasurface could benefit both civilian and military systems and point toward new lines of research.

This breakthrough in radio wave processing highlights a growing trend in advanced technologies, similar to recent developments in quantum computing. For instance, researchers in Zurich have created a quantum chip utilizing mechanical resonators, showcasing innovative approaches to computation. Such advancements could revolutionize various fields, making it essential for tech enthusiasts to stay informed about these cutting-edge discoveries. To learn more about this exciting development, visit the latest news on quantum chips.