Wireless Communications and Mobile Computing, Radio, Antennas
 | The unparalleled scale and density of Disney's physical venues give rise to wireless-research topics in relatively uncharted operating regimes, with cost structures that can amortize across tens to hundreds of millions of units. Our work focuses on the physics of radio and antennas—with applications both analog and digital—as well as the algorithms and protocols necessary for wireless networking. Our research agenda is inspired primarily by opportunities at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts and at ESPN. |
Guest services offered in parks and resorts may rely on wireless communication in the future. The adhoc mode of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or ZigBee enables wireless devices to communicate directly when within each other’s coverage range. It is essential to evaluate the performance of future wireless communication with tools using realistic mobility and activity models. We aim to create activity models that target entertainment theme parks and capture mobility characteristics of park guests, such as their arrival and departure times and positions in the park. We use park data and GPS traces to calibrate and validate our models. [More]
The read range of passive, backscatter radio frequency (RF) tags is limited by the power delivered to the RF tag’s integrated circuit. This project seeks to increase the power delivered to passive backscatter RF tags using transmit diversity – a method that uses multiple antennas and channel knowledge to focus power at a specific location. [More...]
An extension to the existing Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11 standard towards support of cellular networks is developed, which will facilitate 802.11 to be applicable for wide-area broadband access using the so-called TV white space spectrum, as well as paired downlink and uplink spectrum allocated to cellular networks. The extension consists of the introduction of frequency division multiplex to 802.11. By applying this scheme, the low-cost and robust Wi-Fi technology may serve as candidate not only for TV white space networks but also for cellular networks. [More]
Providing geolocation to guests in entertainment parks is an interesting option for guests interested in new types of wireless services. Such geolocation could be based on cellphones, where GPS or the cellular base stations are used to determine the phone location. In this project, we develop a station identity management system that preserves base station location privacy. We further investigate ways to exploit Wi-Fi time-of-flight measurements for precise and reliable localization. [More]
The goal of this project is to determine the position and orientation of a light weight, low-frequency transmitter using quasistatic magnetic fields in environments where line-of-sight occlusions and multipath propagation reduce the accuracy of conventional optical and high-frequency wireless tracking systems. This technology could be used in many applications including athlete tracking, video game control, and handheld device localization. [More...]
Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) are used in consumer electronics, toys, light bulbs, cars, and monitors. With LEDs, it is possible to control their brightness at a frequency much higher than conventional light bulbs. As result, LED-based lightning can be used for wireless communication services by modulating the intensity of the emitted light. Our work targets a full system design that spans from hardware prototypes to communication protocols, and applications. [More...]
