Scientists at Stanford University say they have developed the first wireless radios that can send and receive signals at the same time, a university release said Monday. Normal radio traffic can flow in only one direction at a time on a specific frequency, forcing pilots and air traffic controllers, walkie-talkie users and emergency personnel to take turns speaking.

Cellphone networks allow users to talk and listen simultaneously but researchers say they have to use a use a work-around that is expensive and requires careful planning.

In most wireless networks, each device has to take turns speaking or listening.

"It's like two people shouting messages to each other at the same time," Philip Levis, assistant professor of computer science and electrical engineering says. "If both people are shouting at the same time, neither of them will hear the other."

The researchers came up with a simple idea: What if radios could do the same thing our brains do when we listen and talk simultaneously -- screen out the sound of our own voice?

The researchers realized if a radio receiver could filter out -- or "ignore" -- the signal from its own transmitter, incoming signals could be heard, and they developed a radio that could do just that.

The most obvious effect of sending and receiving signals simultaneously is that it instantly doubles the amount of information you can send, Levis said, which could lead to much-improved home and office networks that are faster and less congested.

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