Conference: MsRI-EW: Modular, Open Hardware-Software Prototyping Platform for the mmWave and Sub-THz Wireless Research Community. To be held virtually in Aug. 2020.

Northeastern University, Boston MA

Investigators

Abstract

Nontechnical: Experimental research in the mm-wave and sub-THz regime needed for 5G and future wireless networks is held back by the high cost of instrumentation needed to conduct research. The cost of such experiments is typically over $200,000. Given these costs, academics struggle to perform high-impact scientific and engineering research that depends on experimental verification of wireless communication theory. This conference is aimed at finding a path to affordable and accessible wireless mm-wave and sub-THz experiments. The vision is of a versatile and affordable digital platform that can be used for a plethora of scientific experiments across many scientific disciplines. This conference is a first step towards fulfilling that vision. The conference will engage a broad swath of the research engineering community engaged in wireless research. Education and community outreach will be a primary focus of the conference. The organizers of the conference are committed to providing an inclusive environment for individuals from all backgrounds, including those from underrepresented communities in STEM. Technical: Experimental wireless research in the mm-wave and sub-THz today is conducted primarily by private companies as the instrumentation cost for such experiments is unaffordable for academic researchers in the research engineering community. This conference will point a path to solving this problem through accessible mmWave and sub-THz wireless experiments. The envisaged infrastructure will implement a scalable, versatile, programmable, and affordable digital platform that can be used for a plethora of scientific experiments across many scientific disciplines, including but not limited to communications, remote sensing, robotics, human computer interfaces, autonomy, networking, and sub-THz imaging. The long term vision is an infrastructure project that enables the deployment of an open-source portable device for use in research laboratories consisting of broadband mmWave transceivers, reconfigurable digital processors, and associated open-source programming kits. Deployment of a distributed testbed of such nodes will initiate experimental research in these emergent frequency bands at research laboratories across the nation. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.