Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!snorkelwacker!usc!bbn.com!khoult
From: khoult@bbn.com (Kent Hoult)
Newsgroups: comp.robotics
Subject: Re: Wireless Computer Communication
Message-ID: <56646@bbn.BBN.COM>
Date: 25 May 90 13:36:01 GMT
References: <9352@pt.cs.cmu.edu> <18150@well.sf.ca.us>
Sender: news@bbn.com
Reply-To: khoult@BBN.COM (Kent Hoult)
Organization: Bolt Beranek and Newman Inc., Cambridge MA
Lines: 18

A few years ago there was a terminal interconnect that used LED
"Floodlights" on the ceiling, and smaller ones on the terminals.

The floodlights consisted of about a dozen hefty LED's in a clump
aimed in various directions. There was also a phototransistor in
the clump to receive.

I think the idea was that you didn't even have to have direct line
of sight, white walls would reflect enough light to keep the link
going.

If your robot is going to stay in one room, then something like
this might work.

(PS - I seem to recall this thing was used for IBM 3270 terminals
 at around 1.5 MBit/sec)
Kent Hoult
TEL: (617) 873-4385     ARPA: khoult@bbn.com