The arrival and creation of the Internet has undoubtedly been one of the most important computer and communication technologies of our time. Through it, technologies such as fiber optics emerged, where the increase in data transfer capacity has reached very high levels of speed and distance. In any case, this is a tool that has several other applications that go beyond the Internet, and that we even use every day.
Fiber optics, transmission of information and data at high speed
We are used to the idea of information traveling in different ways . In the old days, when we talked about a fixed telephone line, we did it from a wire cable that was the one that carried the sounds of the voice in a socket in the wall, where another cable took it to the local telephone exchange. Thus, smartphones, for example, today work in a different way: they send and receive information through invisible wireless waves, since they do not use cables.
And that’s where fiber optics comes in. Because, as time has passed, the requirements for communication networks have increased. That is why research has been carried out to find physical means of propagation that can increase transmission capacities safely and with low interference. This is how the application of fiber optics arises in the market.
But what is it really and what applications does it have? We have to go back to the 50’s for its creation. However, its first use was not for the application on televisions or telephones, but when medicine began to use it to see the inside of the human body from the inside. Specifically, we are talking about a high-speed physical medium for the transmission of information and data . As such, the technological breakthrough that is fiber optics on the Internet makes it possible to stream games, videos, livestreams, and virtually any digital content at high speeds from anywhere in the world. But if; it has other uses.
fiber optic applications
As we say, and given that we are talking about the fastest physical communication system on the market (it is light, after all), fiber optics can integrate a multitude of systems and geologists have decided to connect fiber optics to different sensors. The result is that it can be used for a multitude of uses and applications.
Therefore, this fiber, no thicker than a human hair, has not only made the Internet work much faster, but has also changed the way of working in other fields. Because, there is not only fiber optics for the home, as we will see below. Did you know that it is widely used to map terrain and detect vibrations?
Its use in medicine
As we mentioned before, one of the great applications of fiber optics is in medicine, which was the first great use of this technology after its creation in the 1950s. Thus, in addition to the Internet, television or telephony, fiber optics is also applied to other sectors that have nothing to do with telecommunications.
In this case, as an aid to classic endoscopic techniques . Thanks to these new devices, such as rectoscopes or laryngoscopes, for example, doctors can perform much more precise examinations. Fiber optics help in various medical stages such as diagnosis, surgical performance and even the postoperative period.
Map terrains and detect vibrations
One of the main advantages of this technology is that fiber optic cables can be extended for many kilometers, and a single cable can act as a network of thousands of sensors covering every meter of its route.
In contrast, conventional seismometers record ground motions at a single point, which is a major hurdle in characterizing the Earth’s interior. We saw this, for example, in 2015, when fiber optics served as a communication channel in the study of earthquakes in Iceland. As detailed, this allowed mapping large areas of land .
Still, a single fiber optic cable can generate 10 terabytes per day; in 100 days, a petabyte would be reached, a figure higher than that contained in the international repository that gathers all the seismic data available in the world.
Automotive sector
This you probably did not know. And it is that cars that have intelligent traction systems by default require the data sent by the sensors in their damping process. The algorithm that maintains the stability of the car, based on this information, must make decisions quickly for each section of the road. This is only possible with the immediacy of fiber optic utilities.
In addition, it also allows saving lives more efficiently. Thus, the difference between life and death in a car accident may depend on the speed of transmission. That is why the airbag sensors and their action mechanism are connected by fiber optic cables.
cryptocurrencies
Virtual payments are booming. Cryptocurrencies are data files that contain a specific key and have a commercial value. To avoid hacking the upload and download speed must be fast. Being a data file Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple have the characteristics to be subtracted in a transfer process.
Being transmitted through computer channels, if a hacker knows the route and the transfer speed is slow, the opportunity to steal these files is high. For this reason, both companies and users who work with this type of payment prefer fiber optic utilities.