A better article about how this works: <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;abc.cs.washington.edu&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;abc.cs.washington.edu&#x2F;</a><p>&quot;As computing devices become smaller and more numerous, powering them becomes more difficult; wires are often not feasible, and batteries add weight, bulk, cost, and require recharging&#x2F;replacement that is impractical at large scales. Ambient backscatter communication solves this problem by leveraging existing TV and cellular transmissions, rather than generating their own radio waves. This novel technique enables ubiquitous communication where devices can communicate among themselves at unprecedented scales and in locations that were previously inaccessible.&quot;