NRRP accelerates 5G research: new results for Spoke 8 at Tor Vergata
The activities conducted by Spoke 8 of RESTART – Intelligent and Autonomous Systems continue at full speed, as highlighted by some important results obtained on the ground by the University of Rome Tor Vergata.
ITALYSIG: measurements at the Campidoglio to map 5G in Rome
To populate the “ITALYSIG” database of signal traces through measurements at relevant points in the Italian territory for tourist, historical and user transmission requirements aspects: this is the goal of one of the initiatives conducted by Spoke 8 under the RESTART Program.
The instrument used is the CRFS RFeye SenS Portable, an IQ (Inphase and Quadrature) receiver that combines excellent performance (40 GHz maximum frequency, 100 MHz instantaneous bandwidth, 16 bit depth for IQ capture, maximum recording duration of several hours) with incredible portability.
Precisely in this context, thanks to the collaboration with Roma Capitale and the Capitoline Superintendence of Cultural Heritage, Spoke 8 was able to perform a series of IQ captures of very high-definition signals in the splendid setting of the Capitol.
Through the support of the Municipality of Rome, the team from the University of Rome Tor Vergata -composed of Prof. Luca Chiaraviglio, Prof. Nicola Blefari Melazzi and Lorenzo Maria Monteforte- was able to access several measurement points, both indoor and outdoor, which were also useful for the verification of the coverage on the territory resulting from the Roma5G project.
For these measurements, the team also developed an innovative system to fully automate the collection of measurements, implementing a bot that controls the configuration and measurement software of the receiver.
SweepTron reaches 12 knots: the Spoke 8 at the center of 5G monitoring
Among the results of Spoke 8, also the “SweepTron” monitoring network, designed within the focused project of RESTART F9 – MOSS.
The network currently consists of 12 nodes, including 2 Anritsu MS2720xA rack analyzers installed at the BI-REX Competence Center and the City of Bologna (the result of collaboration with Vittorio Di Paolo of WiLab) and 10 Anritsu MS2760A ultra-portable analyzers installed at the University of Rome Tor Vergata.
Portability, ease of installation, automation of measurements, and remote control with automatic recovery are just some of the features implemented via software in the edge nodes, complemented by a robust server part for storing and displaying selective measurements made by the various nodes.
The collection of received and field power data, in time-series format, enables the appreciation not only of periodic changes in traffic (e.g., day-night), but also of reconfiguration operations performed on radio base stations detected by the monitoring network.
The data collected are instrumental in both the study of 5G signals (and their evolution) and the implementation of new techniques for estimating and predicting signals radiated by radio base stations.
Multimedia totems at Tor Vergata: a bridge between research and community
The installation and connection of two networked, double-sided multimedia totems for the research activities of RESTART’s Spoke 8 at the Engineering Macroarea of the University of Rome Tor Vergata has been completed.
The goal of the installation is to take the results of Spoke 8 and the RESTART Project outside the laboratories by including not only experimental engineering activities, but also innovative actions including the dissemination of information about the project and the activities of the Macroarea, the organization of a contest aimed at students, the artistic enhancement of the area and the development of a virtual museum based on immersive reality.
Bob, the quadruped robot, wins the Leonardo Drone Contest at the Dronitaly 2024 event
Quadruped robot Bob, used by Spoke 8 – University of Rome Tor Vergata for monitoring activities based on 5G connectivity, won the Leonardo Drone Contest at the Dronitaly 2024 event.
Bob was used together with a drone to deploy a heterogeneous swarm within an autonomous driving competition that included prestigious competitors, including the Politecnico di Milano, Politecnico di Torino, Politecnico di Bari, Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, University Federico II of Naples, and Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna of Pisa.
Autonomous driving and remote monitoring in hostile environments can be an interesting vertical for the development of private 5G networks. With this result, Spoke 8 aims to strengthen cooperation between the Department of Electrical Engineering, the Department of Civil Engineering and Computer Engineering at the University of Rome Tor Vergata to jointly develop research activities under the RESTART project.
