Groundbreaking Satellite Antenna for Connected Cars

Through metamaterials technology he studied at Duke University, physicist Nathan Kundtz and founder of the company Kymeta developed a satellite antenna that can receive data at broadband speeds while cruising down the road. The antennas are 6-inch-wide, six-sided panels that can be installed as modules in a car's roof. Kundtz says the system requires less than 10 watts of power. If users need more bandwidth, more modules can be added into the roof.

Transcript

00:00:00 This is Duke University. FROM THE OUTSIDE, THIS LOOKS LIKE AN ORDINARY S.U.V. WITH A LOT OF BUMPER STICKERS. BUT INSIDE, THE CAR CONTAINS A GROUNDBREAKING SATELLITE ANTENNA THAT CAN RECEIVE DATA AT BROADBAND SPEEDS WHILE CRUISING DOWN THE ROAD-- A CONNECTION THAT’S STRONG ENOUGH TO TURN THE BACK OF A CAR INTO A WORK SPACE WITH INTERNET CONNECTIVITY. "What that product does is it replaces a dish with a flat surface that is actually integrated into the roof of this car but you can’t see it. What it allows us to do is get two-way satellite connectivity actually no matter where we are in the world.” NATHAN KUNDTZ IS THE FOUNDER AND C.E.O. OF KYMETA, THE COMPANY THAT DEVELOPED THE TECHNOLOGY. "And this allowed them to create a sandbox for future innovation."

00:00:45 THE DUKE ALUMNUS IS ON A NATIONWIDE TOUR SHOWCASING THE ANTENNA. HE STOPPED BY HIS ALMA MATER FRIDAY TO DISCUSS IT WITH FACULTY, STUDENTS, ALUMNI AND LOCAL INDUSTRY PARTNERS. “By aiming precisely, we can create powerful connections with what are called high capacity satellites that historically required a dish. With this capability we can literally connect with anything that moves anywhere on the planet. The abundance of inexpensive data is possible without wires, without cell towers.” THE ANTENNA IS CREATED THROUGH METAMATERIALS TECHNOLOGY WHICH WAS DEVELOPED AT DUKE BY PIONEER DAVID SMITH. KUNDTZ COMPLETED HIS PHD IN SMITH’S LAB. “What this today represents is continued work in this area to try to take what is nascent early stage technology and turn it into something that can be transitioned and commercialized.

00:01:40 On a personal note, it’s fantastic to see a student who has left our group and really succeeded in this way.” KYMETA PLANS TO DO A PILOT PRODUCTION RUN AT THE END OF THE YEAR AND EXPECTS TO MAKE THE PRODUCT AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC AT THE BEGINNING OF NEXT YEAR. KUNDTZ SAYS HIS COMPANY ALREADY HAS PARTNERS LINED-UP EAGER TO DEPLOY HIS ANTENNA. “Everything from planes, trains, automobiles, agriculture, heavy construction, oil and gas. Really anything that moves and even some things that don’t but are far away, people are looking to deploy this technology to get the connectivity they need.” REPORTING FOR DUKE UNIVERSITY, I’M ALISSA ANDEREGG. Produced by Duke University.