Acoustic backscatter communication

Visionary scenarios for future commmunications networks invariably include massive use of sensors and actuators in industrial and medical applications, for instance.

Often, these sensors are envisaged on a nano-scale, massive in numbers, and deeply embedded in mechanical structures or biologicald tissue. Not only is the use of wires often impossible, but also use of radio waves may be prohibited.

It is therefore desirable that new, future passive sensors are equipped with wireless means, other than radio, for transmission of information and for harvesting energy.In this project we explore the potential and limitations of passive devices that use acoustic ultrasound waves as means of communication and as the source for energy harvesting.

The devices we explore use impinging ultrasound waves as their sole source of energy and deploy arrays of reconfigurable reflective acoustic elements.

This allows for communication through the acoustic backscatter: the impinging wave is modulated and reflected back to the target receiver with virtually no active additional components.

Led by leading researchers in Wireless Communications and Ultrasonics we will explore new signalling waveforms that optimize spectral and energy efficiency of communication and energy transfer.

Successful completion of the project will lead to new sensor systems that are reliable, robust, secure and safe, notably in emerging industrial and medical sensor- and actuator systems.