Future tech: Spray on antennaes

Blame your phone, blame your network, blame the weather – whoever is to blame when you lose mobile signal, nothing can help. One of the first ideas to come out of Google’s version of TED – dubbed Solve for X – is spray on antennaes.

Chamtech Enterprises has dreamed up the spray on antennae – which could be used in paints and clothing textiles – to replace expensive masts and building-mounted femto-cells. The idea is to create signal boosting antennae on nearby walls, trees or clothes. Handy for when you absolutely need to make a phone call with minimal coverage. 

Real world testing found a 10 per cent boost in mobile energy efficiency, in dry or wet weather. In fact it worked surprisingly well under water, too, and could be used for future sub-aquatic telecommunications infrastructure, so even Aquaman will be able to take calls from his mum.