In Pursuit of Experimental Wireless Research and Its Robotic Applications

Speaker:  He (Henry) CHEN, Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK).

Time:       10:00-11:00, Aug.15

Tencent Meeting Link:        https://meeting.tencent.com/dm/IRSizHmDymFe

Tencent Meeting ID:           157-600-798

Host:        Yong Zhou

Abstract:

Back in the early days of radio technology, conducting experiments to validate wireless communication methods was crucial. As a concrete example, the 1909 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Marconi and Braun for their pioneering work developing the first practical systems for wireless telegraphy. The Nobel Prize marked the transition of radio from idea to reality, providing validation of Marconi and Braun's experimental work proving that robust wireless communication was possible. In recent decades, wireless research has shifted more heavily toward theoretical studies, with less emphasis on experimental efforts. This is largely due to the vast complexity of modern wireless systems, which makes comprehensive experimental evaluation extremely difficult. Yet, considering that targeted real-world experiments could still provide invaluable and practical insights to ground theoretical work, our research group has been actively revisiting efficient experimental methods in wireless research in the past few years. We've found that experimental wireless studies are becoming more feasible thanks to the availability of open-source software tools and MATLAB-compatible radio hardware. In my talk, I will present examples of our recent work on WiFi communication and signal analysis, where tangible experiments stimulated interesting research ideas. I will then share our perspective on how experimental wireless research holds the power to push the boundaries of intelligent mobile robotics, bringing us ever closer to a future where robotics and wireless technology are seamlessly integrated. I'll wrap up my talk by introducing several hardware/software tools that can significantly enhance the process of conducting experimental wireless research.

Bio:

Dr. He (Henry) CHEN is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Information Engineering at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), Hong Kong SAR, China. He received his Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia. He was a Research Fellow with the School of Electrical and Information Engineering, The University of Sydney before joining CUHK. Dr. Chen's current research interest includes wireless communication and networking, wireless sensing, and their applications in robotic systems. Dr. Chen is serving on the editorial board of IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications, and he served on the editorial board of IEEE Wireless Communications Letters between 2020 and 2022.