Forget broadband-over-power-lines or wi-fi; how cyberpunk would it be to transmit 10mbps of data through the human body itself? Very cyberpunk, fo’ sho’.

The researchers placed two electrodes 12 inches apart on a subject’s skin and were able to clock data transmission rates of 10 megabits per second. The technology may pave the way for ultra-efficient implantable body monitors that cut energy needs by 90%.

Transmitting data directly through the skin is much more efficient than current wireless transmission technologies (bluetooth, wifi), since it requires much less energy. The body is an excellent medium for the transmission of signals, and researchers found that low-frequency electromagnetic waves encounter very little interference when sent through the skin.

It’s unclear how useful this research is for those of us living in the real world… unless, perhaps, you have a short Cat-5 lead at your LAN party, and a flatmate who’s willing to stand with one hand jammed in the router ports while the other one grips the stripped cable ends…