RADAR Miniature mmWave Sensor for High-Accuracy Measurement A highly miniaturized, commercially available millimeter wave radar sensor working in the 121 to 127 GHz range can achieve distance measurements accurate to within ±6 micrometers over a measurement distance of 35 mm. On-chip radar circuitry and external antennas are integrated into an 8 mm x 8 mm, […]
A wireless industry consortium is developing a new technology called MulteFire that it says delivers the high performance of 4G LTE cellular networks while being as easy to deploy as Wi-Fi routers.Rather than relying on the licensed spectrum purchased for today’s LTE service, MulteFire operates entirely in the unlicensed 5 gigahertz band. And to set […]
5G technologies are early in their development, and the business cases for them are a bit fuzzy, but wireless researchers and executives still had plenty to celebrate this week at the annual Brooklyn 5G Summit. They’ve made steady progress on defining future 5G networks, and have sped up the schedule for the first phase of […]
A world of millimeter-wave networks, laid out by computer, crisscrossing cities and into the stratosphere, where cell phone towers can be easily replaced by tethered autonomous copters—that’s the telecommunications infrastructure of the future. So says Facebook’s Yael Maguire, head of the company’s Connectivity Lab. Read more
Thermoacoustic Effect Turns Microwaves into Underwater Sound In the thermoacoustic effect, heat from electromagnetic waves striking the water’s surface generates sound waves. A University of Arizona team has demonstrated benchtop thermoacoustic communications (TAC), successfully transforming microwave signals in air into sound signals under water, received by an acoustic sensor. The experiments and theoretical analysis suggest […]
An international team of researchers has developed a low-power gas sensor chip that can operate at room temperature, making possible the development of personal air-quality monitoring devices that we could carry around with us. In research described in the journal Science Advances, the team of researchers fabricated a chemical-sensitive field-effect transistor (CS-FET) platform based on […]
Researchers at IBM Research Alamaden have developed a new approach to measuring the magnetic field of individual atoms that for the first time gives scientists the ability to put the sensor exactly next to the atom they want to measure, providing them with a strong and direct signal of the magnetic field. The energy resolution […]
Student design competition supported by MTT-11 and MTT-9. For details, see: http://ims2017.org/technical-program/competitions/student-design The instructions can be downloaded here. Abstract: New nonlinear characterization instruments associated with advanced digital signal processing algorithms turned digital predistortion, DPD, into the distortion cancellation method of choice to relax the linearity-efficiency compromise of wireless systems. Soon after its dawn, about some […]
DARPA’s “Diverse Accessible Heterogeneous Integration” Revolution The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s DAHI (Diverse Accessible Heterogeneous Integration) continues to push the limits in on-chip integration, new materials, and improved silicon and gallium nitride technology to address critical challenges for next-generation microwave and millimeter-wave systems. CALL FOR NOMINATIONS Candidates for MTT-S Leadership The MTT-S Nominations […]
IEEE’s 5G wireless initiative has the goal of serving many more users with much higher transmission speeds. But with the existing cellular bands tightly packed, where does all the required additional network capacity come from? In contrast with the traditional radio-spectrum management view of scarce capacity, where a finite amount of spectrum must be divided […]
Controversial Satellite-Messaging Startup Higher Ground Cleared for Takeoff In the face of industry opposition, U.S. regulators have okayed a smartphone accessory that uses microwaves to send text messages and email via geostationary satellites. Up to 50,000 Higher Ground SatPaq could be deployed in the U.S., promising cheap, reliable messaging far from cellphone towers. Some telecom […]
The Hubble Space Telescope might not make it to 2030. Currently operating 12 years beyond its original 15-year lifespan, Hubble’s science operations are slated to end in 2021. A proposed servicing mission could keep the beloved space telescope running even longer, but eventually, the era of Hubble will come to an end. Fortunately, a number […]
To make it easier for factories to integrate new wireless technologies, U.S. federal government employees took it upon themselves to measure the performance of radiofrequency signals in three factory settings: an auto transmission assembly facility, a steam generation plant, and a small machine shop. They recently published their results as part of an ongoing $5.75 […]
In the face of concerted industry opposition, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has given the go-ahead for a controversial smartphone accessory that uses microwaves to send text messages and email via geostationary satellites. Startup Higher Ground now has permission to deploy up to 50,000 SatPaq devices across the United States, promising isolated communities, hikers, and […]
Researchers covet terahertz waves for their ability to deliver data wirelessly at rates as high as 100 gigabits per second. That’s an unbelievably fast rate to achieve over the air, especially when you consider that: a) the average U.S. broadband speed is 55 megabits per second; and b) broadband service is piped into homes on […]
MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT DYLAN WILLIAMS A Future of Inclusion and Engagement Out-going President Ke Wu and I share similar visions for the Society. This common ground has led to a close relationship in which I often found myself working to support Ke’s goals, something that I found extremely rewarding: a commitment to inclusiveness, a policy […]
