| NSF Org: |
CNS Division Of Computer and Network Systems |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | March 23, 2015 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | April 26, 2019 |
| Award Number: | 1452494 |
| Award Instrument: | Continuing Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Alhussein Abouzeid
aabouzei@nsf.gov (703)292-7855 CNS Division Of Computer and Network Systems CSE Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering |
| Start Date: | April 1, 2015 |
| End Date: | March 31, 2021 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $448,860.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $448,860.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
FY 2016 = $95,037.00 FY 2017 = $87,654.00 FY 2018 = $85,874.00 FY 2019 = $88,156.00 |
| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
4333 BROOKLYN AVE NE SEATTLE WA US 98195-1016 (206)543-4043 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
Campus Mailbox 352350 Seattle WA US 98195-2350 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | Networking Technology and Syst |
| Primary Program Source: |
01001617DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT 01001718DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT 01001819DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT 01001920DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT |
| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.070 |
ABSTRACT
There is increasing interest in the Internet-of Things where small computing devices are embedded in everyday objects and environments. A key issue is how to power these devices as they become smaller and numerous; batteries add bulk, cost, and require recharging that is difficult at large scale. This project proposes to design battery-free devices that can connect to the Internet using the WiFi networks around us. This proposed research is expected to create a pragmatic shift in the WiFi industry where in addition to providing connectivity to WiFi device, routers can now tap into the RF powered device ecosystem.
Conventional low-power WiFi transceivers require much more power than is available from wireless signals, making it infeasible for RF-powered devices to literally speak the WiFi protocol. The proposed research will produce algorithms, designs, circuits, and system implementations that will enable the first communication link between RF-powered devices and off the-shelf WiFi devices, without the need to speak WiFi. This project will develop a range of techniques from new low-power analog codes to WiFi rate adaptation algorithms to push the limits on our communication range and rate. The project will also design a complete network stack that enables multiple such devices to co-exist and develop full-duplex capabilities on these battery-free devices to significantly improve the power efficiencies of the resulting link- and network-layer protocols. If successful, this project would create the critical component in the vision of RF-powered Internet of things: an ability to connect billions of RF-powered devices to existing Internet infrastructure.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
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PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
The goal of this project is to design and implement battery-free devices can harvest energy to perform computation, communication and sensing using backscatter technology.
Websites
Wi-Fi Backscatter (iotwifi.cs.washington.edu). RF-powered computers are small devices that compute and communicate using only the power that they harvest from RF signals. While existing technologies have harvested power from ambient RF sources (e.g., TV broadcasts), they require a dedicated gateway (like an RFID reader) for Internet connectivity. We present Wi-Fi Backscatter, the first communication system that bridges RF-powered devices with the Internet. Specifically, we show that it is possible to backscatter to existing Wi-Fi devices to provide Internet connectivity to RF-powered devices.
Passive Wi-Fi (passivewifi.cs.washington.edu). We introduce Passive Wi-Fi that demonstrates for the first time that one can generate 802.11b transmissions using backscatter communication, while consuming 3 - 4 orders of magnitude lower power than existing Wi-Fi chipsets. Passive Wi-Fi transmissions can be decoded on any Wi-Fi device including routers, mobile phones and tablets. Building on this, we also present a network stack design that enables Passive Wi-Fi transmitters to coexist with other devices in the ISM band, without incurring the power consumption of carrier sense and medium access control operations.
Interscatter (interscatter.cs.washington.edu). We introduce inter-technology backscatter (Interscatter), a novel approach that transforms wireless transmissions from one technology to another, on the air. Specifically, we show for the first time that Bluetooth transmissions can be used to create Wi-Fi and ZigBee-compatible signals using backscatter communication. Since Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and ZigBee radios are widely available, this approach enables a backscatter design that works using only commodity devices. Finally, we build proof-of-concepts for previously infeasible applications including the first contact lens form-factor antenna prototype and an implantable neural recording interface that communicate directly with commodity devices such as smartphones and watches, thus enabling the vision of Internet connected implanted devices.
Living IoT (livingiot.cs.washington.edu). Sensor networks with devices capable of moving could enable applications ranging from precision irrigation to environmental sensing. Using mechanical drones to move sensors, however, severely limits operation time since flight time is limited by the energy density of current battery technology. We explore an alternative, biology-based solution: integrate sensing, computing and communication functionalities onto live flying insects to create a mobile IoT platform. We develop and deploy our platform on bumblebees which includes backscatter communication, low-power self-localization hardware, sensors, and a power source.
Low-power steerable wireless vision (https://robotics.sciencemag.org/content/5/44/eabb0839). Vision serves as an essential sensory input for insects but consumes substantial energy resources. The cost to support sensitive photoreceptors has led many insects to develop high visual acuity in only small retinal regions and evolve to move their visual systems independent of their bodies through head motion. Here, we report a fully wireless, power-autonomous, mechanically steerable vision system that imitates head motion in a form factor small enough to mount on the back of a live beetle or a similarly sized terrestrial robot.
Impact
1) We introduced the concepts of Wi-Fi backscatter, Passive Wi-Fi, Interscatter, and Living IoT. 2) This work has won multiple academic awards including Best papers at NSDI 2016, SIGCOMM 2016 and SenSys 2018. This was also recognized as MIT Technology review Breakthrough of 2016 as well as Popular Science Technology of 2015. 3) This work resulted in multiple graduate students who won various awards including two Google fellowships, a Qualcomm fellowship, a Intel fellowship, SIGCOMM Dissertation award, two SIGMOBILE Dissertation awards, and two faculty positions 4) The backscatter technology developed here is being commercialized by multiple startups that are translating this technology from the lab to practice.
Last Modified: 08/04/2021
Modified by: Shyamnath Gollakota
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