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Engineers and scientists at The University of Texas at Austin and the AMOLF institute in the Netherlands have invented the first mechanical metamaterials that easily transfer motion effortlessly in one direction while blocking it in the other, as described in a paper published on Feb. 13 in Nature. The material can be thought of as a mechanical one-way shield that blocks energy from coming in but easily transmits it going out the other side.

Texas Wireless Summit (TWS) 2015 explored next generation wireless networks in a day-long event focused on The View to 5G: From Applications to the Air Interface. The 13th annual TWS provided a forum on emerging technology and business models for industry leaders and academics. Hosted by WNCG, TWS offered direct access to cutting-edge research and innovations from industry leaders, investors, academics and startups. Through keynote and panel-driven discussions, leading business and technology executives and top academics shared entrepreneurially-oriented research. WNCG Profs.

Since 2008, mobile traffic across the globe has increased at a rate of roughly 100 percent per year, while the available bandwidth, or spectrum, for data use has remained largely unchanged. During peak hours, wireless networks in major cities often reach a point of failure. With the explosion in online video traffic, which is predicted to occupy 66 percent of mobile traffic by 2017, industry, academia and government are searching for the future of mobile networks. The solution? To push beyond 4G networks and bring 5G to life and to consumers.  

Join Prof. Andrea Alù as he shares insight into his work with metamaterials, light and an "invisibility cloak." 

Image: Erik Zumalt, The University of Texas at Austin Profs. Andrea Alù and Mikhail Belkin in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin have created a new nonlinear metasurface, or meta mirror, that could one day enable the miniaturization of laser systems.