High-Reliability Radio Systems for IoT 2

Applications are invited for a fully-funded 3 year Ph.D. studentship on the theme described below, as part of the Communications Research Group.

Details
There are many emerging radio standards competing for use in the IoT (Internet of Things). These solutions vary from a small number of standardised & open through to a wider selection of closed, commercial proprietary systems.
It can be argued that none of the systems adequately address the needs of future innovative products, likely to require all the following:-
• high reliability, bidirectional short message transfer,
• operation in deregulated / shared spectrum, subject to various sources of interference,
• infrequent, low likelihood communications,
• powered by very small primary batteries (e.g. coin cells), with limited peak and average current delivery
• low manufactured cost (targeting disposable products)
• ultra-long available service life (many years).

There is a growing need for such a radio solution, requiring significant innovation at circuit/system/network design levels. Example real world applications for such systems could be envisioned in:-
• Social Care (body-worn alarm systems, elderly care monitors for Dementia/Alzheimer sufferers). The University is working with Tunstall Healthcare Ltd in this area.
• Remote health monitoring of vital signs in mobile patients.
• generic alarm systems (e.g. remote monitoring of domestic gas/smoke alarms)
• very low cost (disposable) wireless sensor monitoring
• physically small & low profile communication solutions

The purpose of this research project is to first understand the limitations of the emerging IoT communications systems (i.e. IoT ‘rev 1’) and then select a relevant topic to investigate further, which could lead to a new radio technology for future IoT systems (i.e. IoT ‘rev 2’). This could be from one or more of (but not limited to):-
• Very low DC power Cognitive transceivers (for mobile/node)
• Novel, low energy & complexity DSP algorithms for the detection of RF signals
• Novel Air Access MACs & PHY signals & waveforms
• IoT radio backhaul network topologies

Researchers can expect to become involved in designing hardware and software for their proposed system(s) and then trialling them in real world scenarios. The expectation is that the researcher’s project will contribute to an IoT test bed, being developed at the University.