Youngster Creates Software to Send Computer Data through Radio

Vinny and his team had bagged the third prize in Microsoft's Imagine Cup in 2010. It was a worldwide contest for tech innovators.

Listeners can plug in their radio to a laptop or a tablet computer, using a normal headphone jack, while the OneBeep software installed on their machines will automatically convert the audio files back into data. It's like getting an email over the radio. However the idea does have a few drawbacks.

Firstly, it is slow and sending just 2 MB of data can take up to 40 minutes. Secondly, the idea itself isn't new. HAM radio operators have used almost similar software since the 1970's. And lastly, it could be misused by terrorists.

However Vinny said "Each radio frequency transmission needs a government licence. Most amateur transmitters have a range of 20-30 metres. Anything stronger than that can easily be traced. If any unauthorized frequency transmissions take place, the army will be privy to that," as reported by IBN Live.

Vinny’s idea still has potential since it's so simple and easily adaptable, and can help rural school kids to download assignments overnight. Further, community radio stations in villages can also use it to transfer files related to panchayats.

Though the technology is few years away, OneBeep already works and Vinny wants to offer it for free on the web. He wants give rural India a taste of the internet over the radio.

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