PHILADELPHIA — If you’ve ever used a smartphone, streaming device, or any other wireless gadget, you’ve experienced the magic of radio frequency (RF) filters first-hand. These unsung heroes sort through the jumbled mess of signals bouncing around the airwaves to tune in exactly the frequencies your device needs while blocking out all the noise and interference. Now, a revolutionary new filter that’s as small as a quarter could soon open the door to 6G wireless signals!

Researchers from Penn Engineering explain that as new technologies like 5G and eventually 6G roll out with a rapidly expanding number of wireless bands, the old approach of using separate fixed filters for each channel is becoming unsustainable. It would be like…