Magnetoelectric antennas could transform how underwater robots talk

BlueME, developed at the University of Florida and accepted in IEEE Journal of Oceanic Engineering, uses magnetoelectric antennas that couple magnetostrictive (Metglas) and piezoelectric (PZT) layers to transmit underwater at ranges up to 730 meters on roughly 10 watts. The claimed improvement over conventional RF underwater comms is 800 billion-fold in effective range. The approach adapts physics from miniature medical implants, where similar saline-environment constraints apply.