These signals are weak because they travel through huge distances and are very small and deformed by the dust and gas of space they go through. So, their complete waveform changes from a sharp and easily recognizable form, to a flat curve. So, O’Sullivan and his teammates had to work on a tool that could recognize and filter any type of radio waves.
Finally, O’Sullivan and his teammates were successful in creating such tool, which was based on a mathematical formula. So, this tool could help them to find waves by blocking other unnecessary radio signals and recognizing the useful ones. Unfortunately, they failed in finding a black hole’s radio waves.
Reusability of Previous Research
Later on, in 1992, O’Sullivan joined CSIRO. There he was working on finding a way in which computers can communicate with other computers wirelessly.
O’Sullivan suddenly thought of his previous research of black hole’s radio waves and the tools he created. The tools he developed were able to identify signals wirelessly. So, he decided to use the same mathematical formula for developing wireless communication among computers. He was able to modify his previous research and develop a basis for Wi-Fi. Now, his research could find out weak and unclear signals out of the noisiest environments of signals.
The reusability of previous research gave an unintentional invention to Wi-Fi. With the invention of Wi-Fi technology, CSIRO was able to make around $1 billion in royalties. O’Sullivan patented this technology first in his native country in the year 1992, then in the U.S. in the year 1996.
Ultimately, Wi-Fi technology was an accidental invention. Thank you, Stephen Hawking to inspire John O’Sullivan. And, thank you, John O’Sullivan to provide the world with the Wi-Fi technology.
