Engineers Create $2 3D-Printed Panels to Double Speed and Coverage of 60-GHz Networks

Researchers at the University of California San Diego have introduced a passive metasurface system called FlowForm to eliminate dead zones in high-speed wireless networks. The wall-mounted plastic panels, which cost $2 each, operate without electricity and redirect millimeter waves around walls, boosting data transfer speeds by up to 94% and expanding coverage by up to 114%.

The development aims to solve the main problem of the 60 GHz millimeter band: high-frequency signals cannot bend around obstacles or pass through walls and furniture.

Radio Mirror Design and Passive Reflection

According to UC San Diego’s press office, the tiles measure 20 × 20 cm and are printed on a standard 3D printer using plastic filament, with the back coated in conductive paint. The front features a matrix of 6,400 microstructures (80 × 80 elements) designed to refract waves at precise angles.

The panels contain no chips, transceivers, or power cables. The system creates a cascade of reflections: the signal from the access point travels along a chain of passive reflectors around a corridor corner, then fans out into the target room toward smartphones or headsets.

Advantage Over Active Repeaters and Testing

The system was tested on IEEE 802.11ad and 802.11ay protocols. Access points perceive the reflectors as a natural physical path, so no adaptation of network equipment or client devices is required.

Compared to Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RIS), the solution proved highly cost-effective: a set of 16 passive FlowForm tiles cost $32, while a comparable active repeater system is priced at least $6,000, excluding power supply and installation.

According to the study presented at the ACM Digital Library, tests were conducted in five rooms with complex geometry, covering areas up to 462 square meters, including T-shaped and zigzag corridors. With multiple devices operating simultaneously, speed gains reached up to 43%.

The developers have filed a patent application for the technology, aiming to commercialize it in future office centers and data centers. The engineers emphasize that the panels are designed specifically for WiGig, 5G, and 6G millimeter-wave standards and are not intended for standard home routers operating in the 2.4, 5, and 6 GHz bands.