NeTS: Small: Toward Wireless Co-existence For Safety-critical Applications

University Of Houston, Houston TX

Investigators

Abstract

Safety-critical systems refer to systems whose failure or malfunction may result in death or serious injury to people, loss or severe damage to equipment, or environmental harm. One key issue is whether it is safe to operate wireless devices for monitoring, control, and coordination in these systems, or whether current wireless devices can safely coexist with these critical devices? This project develops novel and holistic solutions to monitoring, policing and assessing the coexistence of wireless devices in and near safety-critical systems. Intellectually, the project advances the state-of-the-art in both algorithm design as well as experimental systems related to safety-critical applications through 1) the design of a distributed passive monitoring system that captures cross-layer information regarding radio frequency activities, 2) the development of device profiling and identification algorithms for characterizing and tracking active devices, 3) the development of wireless advisory to identify and make recommendations on the proper responses to potentially safety hazardous conditions, and 4) validation through real-world experiments. Addressing the co-existence issues of wireless devices for safety-critical applications has far-reaching societal impacts. Ensuring the safe operation of wireless technologies in or near safety-critical applications can automate the process, reduce human errors, and avoid safety hazards. The interdisciplinary nature of this transformative research contributes to the development of the nation's future workforce by ensuring that undergraduate, pre-doctoral, and postdoctoral students receive the didactic and research experiences necessary to engage in integrative and team approaches to solve complex problems.