Projects
In the field of wireless communications, we have several key projects which are shortly described on this site.
List of latest projects
Research Infrastructure for Future Wireless Communication Networks – FUWIRI
FUWIRI proposal shall address how the 6Genesis Flagship Programme research enablers – 5G test networks 5GTN and TAKE-5 – will be gradually transformed from two 5G networks into FUWIRI which is an integrated, commonly orchestrated 5G and 6G test network including introduction of the research based new devices and capabilities into this national and eventually international infrastructure therefore highlighting the evolving nature of this environment.
6G Integrated Sensing and Communications – 6G ISAC
Radio frequency (RF) observations and communications are expected to be a key enabler for wireless 6G systems. Its applications are diverse: vehicle systems (V2X), health applications, positioning, Internet of Things, etc. Instead of competing for the spectrum, integrated sensory and communication systems (ISACs) represent a new vision and paradigm shift. In them, telecommunications and observation functions are planned together and work together for mutual benefit. This project will develop new signal processing and machine learning models, theory and algorithms, as well as multifunctional RF transmitter-receiver systems for 6G ISAC using efficient splitting of the compute kovo between different tasks. Special attention will be paid to dual-use applications, as the industrial partners of this project proposal are important players in a number of business areas covering commercial ICT and security and defence sectors.
6G Test Network Finland (6GTNF)
Develop and provide test network and innovation ecosystem for B5G and 6G related technology and application research, development and testing of products, systems, and vertical industry solutions in controlled environment inside laboratories and large-scale technology, solution, and service field trials.
6GTNF web pages
Ultra Scalable Wireless Access (USWA)
The project Ultra Scalable Wireless Access (USWA) focuses on technology research how to utilize the new DECT-2020 NR radio technology developed in ETSI in various use cases. DECT-2020 NR provides modern radio interface design with state-of-the-art radio capabilities for industrial use cases. DECT-2020 NR technology supports natively mesh radio network architecture which is enabling large scale local networking by relaying data between different devices and also enabling direct communication between devices. DECT-2020 NR technology can operate in a specific license exempt band used by legacy DECT. This provides an interesting opportunity for industrial IoT network deployments in industry facilities without the need of spectrum licenses and with the possibility for self-deploying and – managing by the industry itself. Autonomous communication network provides new business opportunities for industry developing their digitalization roadmap, as well as opens new opportunities for new small and mid-size industry.
USWA web pages
Approximate Computing for Power and Energy Optimization (APROPOS)
The Approximate Computing for Power and Energy Optimisation ETN will train 15 ESRs to tackle the challenges of future embedded and high-performance computing energy efficiency by using disruptive methodologies.
APROPOS web pages
Jamming and Spoofing Resilient Deep Learning based Software-Defined multi-antenna GNSS Receiver (JASMINE)
The Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) technology is known for precise positioning and timing capability that is of use in diverse fields of science and technology. The rapid development in this field by various nations in terms of deploying new satellite systems (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, COMPASS, IRNSS/NAVIC), new signals in different frequency bands (L1, L2, L5, G1, G2, E1, E5a, E5b, B1, B2, B3, etc.) is changing the trend of GNSS receiver design. Especially, the intrinsic flexibility of software-based receiver design approach is becoming a competitor to even highly developed ASICs.
The goal of this project is to develop ‘Jamming and Spoofing Resilient Deep Learning based Software-Defined multi-antenna GNSS Receiver (JASMINE)’, that inherits the superiority of signal and navigation processing through Deep learning technology. To achieve reconfigurability and optimized performance, Graphics processing unit (GPU) based Software Defined Radio (SDR) approach is preferred for JASMINE.
JASMINE web pages
Autonomous Communication Converged with Efficient Sensing for UAV Swarms (ACCESS)
The Autonomous Communication Converged with Efficient Sensing for UAV Swarms (ACCESS) research project targets to proof scalable and autonomous infrastructure-free drone swarms by integrating the mmWave communications and sensing. The convergence relies on the close interaction of radio link and system level research activities, also aims at the development of novel distributed spatiotemporal synchronization, accurate beam steering, and recognition to dynamic radio resource allocation, scheduling, interference control and distributed routing that underpin the reliable autonomous swarming. This research will be the cornerstone for a series of valuable applications including search and delivery during disasters when wireless and positioning infrastructure is absent or damaged, cooperatively extinguishing a forest fire, where may be difficult for personnel to access, and 3D snapshot of the indoor or outdoor urban landscape for city planning.
Fundamental Limits and Performance Trade-Offs in Integrated Sensing and Communications (6G-FunISAC)
Extracting information and performing learning, inference, and choosing optimal actions through sensing the physical world and its phenomena with large numbers of networked multimodal sensors are of high and rapidly increasing importance in various applications. An important special case of networked sensing is the use of communications networks, devices, and spectrum to also perform the sensing tasks so that the resources are shared within the two functionalities. The concept is known as integrated sensing and communications (ISAC) or joint communications and sensing (JCAS). FunISAC project will explore the underlying theories, optimality, and performance boundaries of ISAC to create fundamental research understanding of the field. The focus is on ISAC functionalities and their fundamental performance bounds, optimization of operational parameters and trade-offs between sensing and communications performances and resource consumption.
macHine leARning MethOds aNd algorIthms fOr 6G terahertz cellUlar acceSs (HARMONIOUS)
The terahertz band offering tens or even hundreds of gigahertz of consecutive bandwidth is nowadays considered as a major candidate for new radio access technology in 6G systems. By wisely utilizing this bandwidth one may not only provide extreme data rates at the access interface but enable principally new applications over-the-air such as Tactile Internet, holographic telepresence, and virtual reality. The aim of the project is to develop the set of fundamentally new models and algorithms to enable truly mobile ultra-broadband THz cellular radio access technology. These models will contribute to better understanding of THz specifics as well as requirements and constraints imposed at practical communications mechanisms and algorithms in THz systems. Thus, the successful completion of the project will make a decisive step closer to enabling principally new applications over the commercial systems.
Machine learning algorithms for energy efficient and QoS aware communications in heterogeneous 6G mmWave/sub-THz networks (ML6GThz)
The rollouts of millimeter wave (mmWave, 28-100 GHz) band 5G New Radio technology is hampered by highly unreliable connectivity and poor energy efficiency severely violating the IMT-2020 requirements. Even though 5G systems are not yet fully deployed, 3GPP already starts standardization of 6G systems operating in sub-THz band (100-300 GHz) that will be subject to similar effects. In EFFICIENT we will develop models, methods, and practical algorithms simultaneously improving the energy efficiency and user performance at the radio access level in 5G/6G networks operating in mmWave and sub-Thz frequency bands. The successful completion of the project will speed up the rollout of mmWave 5G NR systems as well as standardization of future mmWave/sub-THz 6G systems as well as improve durability, energy efficiency, and recyclability of user equipment by increasing the battery lifetime.
Multimodal and Robust Implantable and Wearable Antenna Systems for Interconnected Wireless Health Devices and the Human Intranet (IWABS2)
Wireless technology is commonplace in our daily life. Soon, it will become equally diffused in the fields of medicine and healthcare, where it aids people’s well-being and improves the quality of life. This project produces novel multimodal body-centric antenna systems that enable robust intra- and on-body communications and centralized wireless power transfer to multiple implanted devices simultaneously. Here, anatomically accurate models of the human body combined with modern electromagnetic field solvers will enable the judicious optimization of the system, considering the robustness of operation within the inherently variable and dynamic operating environment as its key characteristics. The centralized wireless powering enables miniature battery-free implantable devices that achieve the longevity of a lifetime, and through the multimodal operation, they also signal with other implants and wearable units wirelessly.
Enabling clean and sustainable water through smart UV/LED disinfection and SOLar energy utilization (LEDSOL)
Energy is a key driver of national development and energy access is crucial to the delivery of fundamental services. Photovoltaics is the most promising renewable energy technology in terms of availability, cost reduction, and efficiency gains. In this context, our project is fostering renewable energy to provide clean and safe drinking water based on photovoltaics -based disinfection. Our system is designed to be packed in a self-powered wearable backpack with a positioning engine. We will organize pilots in Algeria, Togo, and Romania to demonstrate the proposed technology in relevant environments. Our main contributions are in the field of photovoltaics -based water disinfection, flexible solar cells, and low-cost robust positioning algorithms. A multidisciplinary consortium with partners from Algeria, Togo, Romania, Germany and Finland is gathering the needed expertise for the project implementation while fostering close and long-term collaboration between Europe and Africa.
Multifunctional Radios in Radio-Frequency Systems’ Convergence (MULTIFUN)
Radio-frequency (RF) systems are converging in terms of spectrum allocations, equipment and waveforms toward united applications, in which each radio’s operation is defined by programming software and firmware only. To fully harness the benefits of this so-called ‘RF convergence’, the emerging general-purpose multifunctional radio devices need to be capable of in-band full-duplex (IBFD), i.e., same-frequency simultaneous transmit and receive (SF-STAR), operation. For instance, a united cellular base station and radar would be transmitting shared downlink communication and radar waveforms while simultaneously receiving signal reflections for sensing its surroundings. The research investigates how to achieve the IBFD/SF-STAR capability for multifunctional radios under self-interference and how to exploit them in new RF convergence applications, e.g., joint radar sensing and wireless communication at millimeter-wave frequencies.
Robust and Autonomous mmWave-based Drone Interworking and Aerial Networking Technology (RADIANT)
Wireless communications technology has become an important part of our life that prepares to support advanced applications and services with extremely massive and variable traffic. With such increasingly unpredictable and non-uniform loading, even the novel fifth-generation (5G) wireless technology may require more consistent coverage and on-demand capacity. In this research, we envision advanced 3D network architectures that integrate terrestrial and non-terrestrial deployments as well as employ connected swarms of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), nicknamed drones. We specifically emphasize extremely high frequency (mmWave) radio communications capabilities and conduct a comprehensive performance characterization of dynamic 3D network layouts with multi-hop mmWave mesh and multi-connectivity features. This analysis is based on a novel space-time mathematical methodology, which will help understand the system-level performance, as well as yield optimized technology development choices.
Distributed AI for enhanced security in satellite-aided wireless navigation (RESILIENT)
The goal of this project is to develop tools for interference management in geolocation applications. The use of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) is ubiquitous in civilian, security, and defense applications. As a consequence, the threat of a potential disruption, or even malicious superseding, of GNSS is real and can lead to catastrophic consequences. Therefore, there is a growing need for protecting GNSS against intentional and unintentional interference sources. Particularly, this project investigates a distributed framework to detect and classify threats using hybrid physics- and data-driven models, information which is then used to globally localize the sources of interference. This project is composed of a team of researchers from US and Finland, in a joint effort to advance worldwide security of GNSS against existing threats while providing an excellent opportunity for students to participate in an international project on cutting-edge technologies and methodology development. The team has planned workshops and activities in order to foster a fruitful collaboration between the international research team and students. This project considers problems related to distributed, collaborative learning tasks, where data-driven AI-models are leveraged to augment physics-based solutions for improved capabilities. The specific goals of the project are divided into three research goals. The first goal investigates the use of deep learning for detection/classification of interference and fusion of multiple correlated classifiers providing local threat detection probabilities. The second goal aims to localize and track the interference sources through the creation of global threat probability maps. This goal is achieved by advancing the field federated learning in a threefold way: (i) to efficiently digesting non-independent and identically distributed data; (ii) combining with active learning methods, whereby moving agents sample specific locations to improve estimation performance; and (iii) investigating federated meta-learning strategies that use task-level knowledge to improve global learning. The third goal of the project investigates the use of those global threat maps to mitigate their effects on collaborative receivers using robust factor graph optimization.
Switch-Mode Analog Integrated Circuits for beyond-5G Radio Transceivers (SMASH)
SMASH (abbreviation of Switch-Mode Analog Integrated Circuits for beyond-5G Radio Transceivers) is an ambitious project with an aim to perform groundbreaking scientific research, bringing a paradigm-shift to the analog circuit design methodology by representing analog information with time-based parameters of pulse waveform and processing it with switch components. The project will demonstrate the results through applied research that significantly advances the performance of radio receivers, thereby enabling low-cost fixed wireless broadband coverage in rural areas with speeds up to 100 Gbps, 10X the state-of-the-art cable technology.
Secure and Privacy Preserving Healthcare in the Residential Environment with Multimodal Distributed Data and Decentralized AI (SPHERE-DNA)
SMASH (abbreviation of Switch-Mode Analog Integ rated Circuits for beyond-5G Radio Transceivers) is an ambitious project with an aim to perform groundbreaking scientific research, bringing a paradigm-shift to the analog circuit design methodology by representing analog information with time-based parameters of pulse waveform and processing it with switch components. The project will demonstrate the results through applied research that significantly advances the performance of radio receivers, thereby enabling low-cost fixed wireless broadband coverage in rural areas with speeds up to 100 Gbps, 10X the state-of-the-art cable technology.