5G/6G Wireless Communications and IoT Networking Lab projects

This project aims to deliver insight, considerations and analysis to support DSTG in approach, evaluation, testing and acquisition of 5G technologies to support defense systems. We provide detailed research analysis and contributions to enable achievement of high-capacity data link outcomes in tactical environments, empowered by 5G and 6G core technologies.
(Funded by DSTG)

The aim of this project is to build a hardware foundation for future wireless integrated circuits, using a combination of silicon and compound semiconductor technologies. The project will generate knowledge for circuit design and system integration to pivot towards the engineering of emerging 6G technology. Expected outcomes include a transceiver-in-package using multiple semiconductor technologies and the development of sovereign design capabilities. The results will constitute an important step towards implementing 6G. Benefits for Australia include the development of early career workers, generation of intellectual property, and securing social and economic benefits for Australians through application of this next-generation technology.
(Funded by ARC Future Fellowship, Dr. Forest Zhu)

This project aims to develop novel technologies empowered by intelligent radio wave backscatter to address the significant problem of connecting a very large number of wireless devices with low energy consumption and limited communication channels for future Internet-of-Things (IoT) networks. This project expects to advance knowledge in the area of green communications by utilising ambient backscatter, a breakthrough wireless communications technology. This will significantly reduce energy costs, enhance spectrum usage efficiency, and improve communication security thus greatly benefiting Australian industry, society and economy. Expected outcomes of the project include key technologies that promote the development of future IoT networks.
(Funded by ARC for DECRA Project DE210100651)

Natural water systems are an important resource for Vietnam. In the southern region, there is a well‐known problem with aquaculture stock mortality due to pollution and contamination. Public health in Vietnam also heavily relies on natural water systems. In the Red River Delta, arsenic and ammonia contamination is a serious problem in water supply, with more than 17 million people affected by arsenic contamination. To solve these problems Vietnam has been seeking more sustainable methods to protect its farms and public health, especially using cutting edge technologies related to Industry 4.0. This UTS project will implement a proven and sustainable technology transfer model for Vietnam and will demonstrate the effectiveness of this model through scaling up water quality monitoring and water supply technology solutions in two key areas in Vietnam: the Phu Yen Province which is heavily reliant on aquaculture and the Red River Delta where drinking water is severely affected by arsenic and ammonia contamination.
(Funded by DFAT)

This project aims to bring the latest advances in digital transformation technologies, in particular Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), AI and remote sensing award winning technology developed by UTS to training search and rescue activities. By leveraging this outstanding and real-time remote sensing and aerial surveillance technology, UTS and its partners will equip SAR workers with a Live Virtual and Constructive simulation together with UAV and remote sensing technology that can be used for rescue operations and for the training of SAR workers. UTS will collaborate with its partners, Le Quy Don Technical University, Ho Chi Minh University of Technology and the Office of National Committee for Search and Rescue of Vietnam to transfer, deploy and apply real-time remote sensing and aerial surveillance technology using UAVs to SAR management, rescue operation activities and SAR training in Vietnam.
(Funded by DFAT)

The ROVER consortium is formed by a highly skilled multidisciplinary team of experts from eight countries seeking to develop novel solutions and procedures for international adaptation of complex non-invasive on-body and in-body wireless systems for healthcare devices. The cross-sectoral and multinational composition of the consortium enables a natural route from profound basic research to health-related applications facilitating the commercialisation of wireless technology innovations for international markets. The ROVER team envision the ultimate outcome of the four-year project is increasingly seamless, dependable, energy-efficient and secure solutions. All team members representing European, American, Asian and Australian organisations are committed to developing and sharing world-class expertise in the field of wireless healthcare thus making remote healthcare and wireless monitoring a success.
(Funded by the European Commission)

This project, funded by Intel, focused on developing and enhancing novel approaches to facilitate two spectrum sharing frameworks: Licensed Shared Access (LSA) and Spectrum Access System (SAS). Our team has delivered several important outcomes, including inter-operator and inter-network interference coordination for better spectrum efficiency, improved spectrum quality and availability through pro-active sharing among various RATs, economics-aware spectrum sharing framework and licensing schemes, REM algorithm design for better spectrum knowledge, spectrum measurement system setup and performance testing of REM algorithms and the study of spectrum management, along with other 5G technologies beyond spectrum sharing.

Vehicle to Vehicle (V2V) communication is an important field of 5G, and requires ultra-low latency and ultra-high QoS levels. This area is currently governed by two standards both operating under the same dedicated automotive band, necessitating the creation of a coexistence scheme to coordinate the standards and mitigate interference. In this Intel-funded project, our team is focusing on different aspects of next-generation communications to address challenges in 5G networks. Key themes include the study of generic flexible chipset architecture, coexistence of V2X communication protocols, physical layer security for low latency communication and developing platforms to demonstrate proposed solutions.

Our researchers are working with Sydney Fish Market and Food Agility CRC to build a Blockchain-enabled Fish Provenance and Quality Tracking System. The system includes three key aspects aimed at delivering trusted information for the market’s consumers to enable informed purchasing decisions and to promote sustainable fishing practices: a consortium Blockchain and an accompanying app that can securely record fish from catch to the market; image recognition technology that can recognise fish species and size; and electronic nose technology (E-nose) that can assess and index fish freshness. 

Supported by the Australia-Japan Foundation, this project promotes the use of IoT and Blockchain-enabled technologies in achieving trusted provenance, traceability and quality tracking. Focusing on safeguards information in Wagyu beef export across the entire supply chain between Japan, Australia and globally, the project is a fundamental step in strengthening trade links between the two countries. 

As future 5G networks reach into industry segments across automotive, manufacturing, logistics and energy, current mobile networks will be ill-equipped to optimally handle the diverse service requirements of these new applications. Building a set of dedicated networks for each business customer would not be economically viable, and operating multiple dedicated networks on a common platform through ‘network slicing’ is a much more efficient approach. In this project funded by Ericsson Australia, we are building a 5G network slicing PoC demonstrator capable of simultaneously running multiple logical networks on a common physical infrastructure, both efficiently and economically. 

Existing networks are quickly becoming overloaded, and with demand on wireless traffic estimated to increase more than one thousand-fold in the next ten years, the challenge will only grow. This ARC-funded project aims to improve radio spectrum utilisation by harvesting temporarily unused spectrum holes to accommodate future traffic. The developed spectrum harvesting system will be an unprecedented communications framework that incentivises both users and service providers to harvest, trade and share radio spectrum holes, relying on software run on users’ devices. This will reduce the costs of radio spectrum, enabling cheaper and better mobile data services for the Australian public.