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This post is a part of our current affairs series for the UPSC IAS Prelims 2022. In this post, we have covered the Science and tech current affairs of the Computer and Information technology section. This post covers the current affairs of September, October 2021 and April 2022 months.
Science and Tech Current Affairs 2021-22
Computer and Information technology
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Near Field Communication(NFC) Technology
News
Google Pay has launched a new feature in India called ‘Tap to pay for UPI’ in collaboration with Pine Labs.
This feature will allow users with NFC-enabled Android smartphones and UPI accounts linked to Google Pay to carry out transactions just by tapping their phones on any Pine Labs Android point-of-sale (POS) terminal across the country.
About Near Field Communication(NFC) Technology
NFC is a short-range wireless connectivity technology that allows NFC-enabled devices to communicate with each other and transfer information quickly and easily with a single touch — whether to pay bills, exchange business cards, download coupons or share a document.
Working of NFC
NFC transmits data through electromagnetic radio fields to enable communication between two devices.
Both devices must contain NFC chips as transactions take place within a very short distance. NFC-enabled devices must be either physically touching or within a few centimetres from each other for data transfer to occur.
Applications of NFC Technology
NFC has a wide range of applications, such as:
– Driving payment services like Google Wallet and Apple Pay.
– Wireless Charging and generating contact-less tickets for public transport.
– NFC is behind the cards that can wave over card readers in subway turnstiles and on buses to check tickets.
– With just a touch, NFC can also set up WiFi and Bluetooth devices in homes.
– It also has an application in healthcare to monitor patient stats through NFC-enabled wristbands.
Safety of NFC Technology
Firstly, NFC technology is designed for an operation between devices within a few centimetres from each other. This makes it difficult for attackers to record the communication between the devices, compared to other wireless technologies which have a working distance of several meters.
Secondly, the user of the NFC-enabled device determines by the touch gesture which entity the NFC communication should take place with, making it more difficult for the attacker to get connected.
NFC in comparison to other wireless technologies
There are other wireless technologies available that are replacing cable-based connections.
IrDa technology is a short-range (a few meters) connection based on the exchange of data over infrared light, where the two communication devices must be positioned within a line of sight. This technology is mainly used for remote control devices.
Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connections: These technologies are used for larger data communication. But the user has to configure their device and pair them together for communication. The connection cannot be initiated by a simple touch gesture like in NFC. Also, the receiver devices need their own power supply due to the larger working distance.
6G Technology
News
The Government of India has asked the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) to begin developing 6G and other futuristic technologies to catch up with the global market in time.
About 6G Technology
6G (sixth-generation wireless) is the successor to 5G cellular technology. 6G networks will be able to use higher frequencies than 5G networks and provide substantially higher capacity and much lower latency.
Features of 6G Technology
Advantages of 6G Technology
Much Higher Data Rate: 6G is expected to support data rates of 1 terabyte per second. This level of capacity and latency will extend the performance of 5G applications and expand the scope of capabilities to support innovative applications in wireless connectivity, cognition, sensing and imaging.
Much Lower Latency: 5G will reduce latency to 1 millisecond. The ultra-low latency will boost the performance of many real-time applications. But 6th generation wireless communication technology will reduce the user experienced latency to less than 0.1 milliseconds
Network Reliability and Accuracy: 6G will beat 5G in the categories of network coverage and network reliability. The 6G will provide enhanced connection density. This will make a large number of connected devices interact with each other in real-time.
AI-Driven Wireless Communication Tools: 6G will transform wireless communication by leveraging Artificial Intelligence(AI).
Emphasis On Energy-Efficiency: The 6G technology will contribute towards environmental sustainability by making the network perform optimally without consuming extra energy. 6G aims to enhance the energy efficiency of the telecom network by 2 times in comparison to 5G.
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