Programmable Microwave Hardware Based on Liquid Wires (PROGRAMMABLE)

微波一词是用来指波长从一米到一毫米不等的电磁辐射。在电磁波谱中，微波的波长比无线电波短，但比红外波长。微波广泛应用于现代通信系统，包括：移动网络、WiFi、GPS、卫星电视等。其他应用，包括：加热、雷达、成像等。由于越来越多地使用电子设备和无线通信的便利性，微波的应用数量正在增加。在未来，微波将被用于5G移动网络，这将看到大量新设备的引入，所有这些都依赖于通过无线信号进行通信。这些新设备和应用包括：无人驾驶汽车、远程手术、虚拟现实、物联网等。今天，系统中的大多数组件都是在微波频率下工作的，是专门为特定应用而设计的。这增加了将新产品推向市场所需的成本和时间。反过来，这会影响消费者购买商品和服务（如手机）的价格。在这项研究中，我们提出了这样一个问题；如果一个通信系统可以用一组标准化的砖块组装起来，就像任何东西都可以用标准的乐高积木组装起来一样，那会怎么样？然后，设计任务将简化为设计和设计一套合适的砖块，以创建一系列不同的系统。在某种程度上，这已经发生了；例如，公司生产一系列具有不同规格的频率选择滤波器，并且可以为特定应用选择滤波器。然而，不同系统的巨大多样性意味着需要大量不同的变体。所以仍然需要大量的设计工作。在这项研究中，我们考虑了如果我们能设计出一种通用的乐高积木，它会具有不同的大小和形状，会发生什么。这将使我们能够从这一块几乎神奇的乐高积木的集合中构建任何系统。如果这可以实现，那么设计一个复杂的微波系统，比如手机中的无线电，只需要决定如何组装这些“神奇”的乐高积木来创建所需的系统。这个想法虽然很吸引人，但听起来像是一种幻想，因为从我们的日常经验中，我们“知道”没有任何物体不能变异成任何形式，然后随意保持这种形式。当然，这样的概念纯粹是科幻小说和电影《终结者》里的东西……其实不是，自2014年以来，研究人员一直在集中研究一种令人兴奋的新材料，这种材料的表现方式与《终结者》电影中的金属非常相似。这种材料是金属，但在室温下也是液体。令人兴奋的是，它可以在直接的电子控制下移动，并随意保持其形状。在这项研究中，我们计划使用这种材料来制造这种“神奇”的乐高积木，它的行为就像一个通用的微波组件。该组件由液体制成，可以流动成不同的尺寸和形状，因此我们得到了“液体导线”。要创建更大的系统，我们只需要决定如何将砖块连接在一起，以便它们能够协同工作以执行更复杂的功能。我们的研究本质上是高度跨学科的，将在广泛的不同领域为英国经济带来好处，包括：化学、材料科学和工程。这项技术可能会彻底改变通信系统的设计和建造方式，从而产生全新的行业。

The term microwave is used in reference to electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths ranging from about one meter to one millimetre. In the electromagnetic spectrum microwave wavelengths are shorter than those of radio waves but longer than those of infrared waves. Microwaves are used extensively in modern communication systems, including: mobile networks, WiFi, GPS, satellite TV, etc.. Other applications, include: heating, radar, imaging, etc.. The number of applications for microwaves is increasing due to the increasing use of electronic devices and the convenience of communication without wires. In the future microwaves will be used in 5G mobile networks, which will see the introduction of a multitude of new devices, all relying on communication via wireless signals. Those new devices and applications include: driverless cars, remote surgery, virtual reality, internet of things, etc..Today most of the components within a system, operating at microwave frequencies, are designed specifically for that particular application. This increases the cost, and time required to bring a new product to market. In turn, this impacts the price which consumers pay for goods and services e.g. mobile handsets. In this research we ask the question; what if a communication system could be assembled from a collection of standardised bricks in just the same way that anything can be constructed from standard Lego(TM) bricks? Then the design task would reduce to that of devising and designing a suitable set of bricks with which to create a range of different systems. To some extent this already happens; for example, companies produce a range of frequency selective filters having different specifications, and one can select a filter for a particular application. However, the enormous variety of different systems means that a large number of different variations are required. So a huge amount of design effort is still required. In this research we consider what would happen if, we could devise a generic Lego(TM) brick that would assume different sizes and forms. This would enable us to construct any system from a collection of this single almost magical Lego(TM) brick. If this could be achieved the task of designing a complex microwave system, such as the radio within a mobile handset, would merely involve deciding how to assemble a collection of these "magic" Lego(TM) bricks to create the required system. The idea, although attractive, sounds like a fantasy because from our everyday experience we "know" that no object cannot mutate to assume any form and then hold that form, at will. Surely, such a concept is pure science fiction and the stuff of movies like the terminator... Well, no in fact it is not, since 2014 researcher have been working intensively on a new and exciting material which behaves in a way very much like the metal seen in the terminator movies. This material is a metal and yet it is also a liquid at room temperature. Excitingly it can be caused to move under direct electrical control and to hold its shape, at will. In this research we plan to use that material to a create this "magic" Lego(TM) brick which behaves as a universal microwave component. Being made from liquid the component can be flowed into different sizes and forms and thus we obtain 'liquid wires'. To create larger systems, we will simply need to decide how to join the bricks together so that they can operate in unison to perform more complex functions.Our research is highly interdisciplinary in nature and will benefit the U.K. economy across a wide range of different areas, including: chemistry, materials science, and engineering. The technology could revolutionise the way that communications systems are designed and built, resulting in entire new industries.