The aim of the SEXTET project is the design of sustainable, affordable, and energy-efficient communication systems for extreme environments. The proposed designs will then be evaluated with extensive simulations and real-world experiments in a set of carefully defined critical scenarios.
More in detail the project has the following objectives:
- Formulate channel models for RF, acoustic, and optical signals in extreme environments.
- Develop devices for operation in extreme environments.
- Design network architectures to enable communication in extreme environments.
- Develop new solutions enabling energy-efficient usage of resources in extreme environments.
The developed solutions will be implemented in dedicated testbeds with the aim of both validating the results and disseminating the results among both vendors and operators.
SEXTET is parte of Spoke 6 – Innovative Architectures and Extreme Environments
Project PI: Michele Zorzi
SEXTET project has led to the achievement of the following research activities:
[M1-M9]
The project has investigated the design of modern underwater networks with a special focus on multi-modal transmission techniques, including optical and acoustic communication, and the integration of ranging functionalities within the standard protocol stack. In this context, more specific aspects investigated include the development of novel hardware components for acoustic modems, the design of ranging schemes that are transparent to the Medium Access Control (MAC) mechanisms, the use of Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM) for acoustic transmission, the analysis of the best optical waveforms for underwater communication, and the investigation of new learning-based strategies to dynamically switch between optical and acoustic modems according to the scenario conditions.
The project has investigated the design of new electronic components capable of operating in harsh environments, characterized by extremely high temperatures (80-100 degrees) and high-frequency (10 GHz and beyond). The electronic devices’ development was initially based on an industry-standard simulator, while a prototypical implementation of the devices is currently ongoing. Besides, a long-distance underwater communication system to monitor and control remote stations (e.g. windmill farms) in the open sea via optical fibers has been studied. To this goal, the requirements for subsea optical repeats are being analyzed, considering the need to provide sensing capabilities at a distance of hundreds of kilometers.
The project has investigated the design of telehealth network systems for enabling the continuous and remote monitoring of chronic diseases, with the goal of grasping the disease evolution, adjusting the treatment program accordingly, and reducing the cost due to unnecessary hospitalization. More specifically, motion measures on a broad population of patients affected by neurodegenerative diseases have been performed and ad-hoc algorithms were designed to identify neurological complications during both resting state and activities of daily living. In this context, the trade-off between the performance and generalization capability of deep learning solution and the power consumption of the overall network architecture.
The project has investigated new comprehensive network architectures that are based on non-terrestrial base stations, e.g., based on unmanned aerial vehicles or satellites. These solutions are expected to operate as standalone architectures and, thus, can substitute traditional cellular infrastructures in case of disruptive events, such as natural disasters or military attacks. More specifically, it has been studied how to extend the 5G/6G network management functions in case of public safety scenarios, considering three different use cases: high-end IoT networks, non-terrestrial networks, and resource allocation systems for industrial applications. As a main use case, a new reference protocol stack has been modeled to provide cellular communication in maritime environments, even in the case of breakage of cellular base stations.
The project has finally investigated new solutions for optimizing communication systems from an energy efficiency point of view. In this context, the first challenge involved the reduction of energy consumption in OFDM-like systems, exploring the role played by quantization and bit-loading procedures. Besides, new methods to accelerate 5G channel simulations have been proposed, enabling the analysis and implementation of massive multiple-input multiple-output channel models in practical scenarios. Finally, it evaluated the benefits of the use of semantic and pragmatic communication schemes, which enables strongly reducing the number of messages exchanged without degrading the user experience. Overall, the real cost of cognitive communication architectures has been assessed, studying the trade-off between the widespread use of learning algorithms and the increase of control data overhead.
[M1-M9]
- Challenges related to the design of modern underwater networks have been investigated. In this context, the main aspects included: the use of specific hardware components for acoustic modems, the design of localization networks transparent to the MAC protocol, the use of OFDM for acoustic transmission, and the analysis of the best optical waveforms for underwater communication.
- High frequency (10 GHz) electronic components for extreme environments have been designed and analyzed via an industry-standard simulator. Besides, a long-distance monitoring system to provide windmill farms in the open sea via optical fibers has been studied. To this goal, the requirements for subsea optical repeates were analyzed, considering the need to provide sensing capabilities at a distance up to 330 km.
- Motion measurements on several patients affected by neurodegenerative diseases have been performed and ad-hoc algorithms were designed to identify neurological complications during both resting state and activities of daily living. In this context, we analyzed the trade-off between performance and power consumption to enable monitoring in challenging conditions.
- A 5G network management system for Public Protection and Disaster Relief scenarios has being developed. Particularly, three extreme scenarios have been considered for the performance evaluation: high-end IoT networks, non-terrestrial networks, and resource allocation systems for industrial IoT. For all the scenarios, we considered the need to provide emergency services in case of disruptive events, with a specific focus on maritime environments.
- The energy consumption and time efficiency of OFDM-like systems have been investigated, exploring the role played by quantization and bit-loading procedures. In this context, new methods to accelerate 5G channel simulations have been proposed, enabling the analysis of massive multiple-input multiple-output channel models. Besides, the performance of reinforcement learning-based resource allocation strategies in dynamic environments have been analyzed.
- advance the state of the art of underwater communications, by proposing new modulation and coding schemes for underwater scenarios and designing a secure communication stack able to optimally switch between optical and acoustic modems;
- study harsh propagation environments (e.g. overwater, underground, and O&G pipe communication), and design a full network architecture (including antennas, sensors, and communication protocols) for exchanging media in such conditions;
- design a telehealth network system for enabling the continuous monitoring of Parkinson and other chronical diseases, with the goal of grasping the disease evolution, and properly adjusting the treatment program and the rehabilitation pathways;
- develop new algorithms for promoting an efficient usage of network resources in extreme environments, focusing on the design of low-power hardware and innovative protocols to support communication, computation, and processing of data, considering both energy efficiency and the cost of learning algorithms.
The project has investigated the design of modern underwater networks with a special focus on multi-modal transmission techniques, including optical and acoustic communication, and the integration of ranging functionalities within the standard protocol stack. In this context, more specific aspects investigated include the development of novel hardware components for acoustic modems, the design of ranging schemes that are transparent to the Medium Access Control (MAC) mechanisms, the use of Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM) for acoustic transmission, the analysis of the best optical waveforms for underwater communication, and the investigation of new learning-based strategies to dynamically switch between optical and acoustic modems according to the scenario conditions.
The project has investigated the design of new electronic components capable of operating in harsh environments, characterized by extremely high temperatures (80-100 degrees) and high-frequency (10 GHz and beyond). The electronic devices’ development was initially based on an industry-standard simulator, while a prototypical implementation of the devices is currently ongoing. Besides, a long-distance underwater communication system to monitor and control remote stations (e.g. windmill farms) in the open sea via optical fibers has been studied. To this goal, the requirements for subsea optical repeats are being analyzed, considering the need to provide sensing capabilities at a distance of hundreds of kilometers.
The project has investigated the design of telehealth network systems for enabling the continuous and remote monitoring of chronic diseases, with the goal of grasping the disease evolution, adjusting the treatment program accordingly, and reducing the cost due to unnecessary hospitalization. More specifically, motion measures on a broad population of patients affected by neurodegenerative diseases have been performed and ad-hoc algorithms were designed to identify neurological complications during both resting state and activities of daily living. In this context, the trade-off between the performance and generalization capability of deep learning solution and the power consumption of the overall network architecture.
The project has investigated new comprehensive network architectures that are based on non-terrestrial base stations, e.g., based on unmanned aerial vehicles or satellites. These solutions are expected to operate as standalone architectures and, thus, can substitute traditional cellular infrastructures in case of disruptive events, such as natural disasters or military attacks. More specifically, it has been studied how to extend the 5G/6G network management functions in case of public safety scenarios, considering three different use cases: high-end IoT networks, non-terrestrial networks, and resource allocation systems for industrial applications. As a main use case, a new reference protocol stack has been modeled to provide cellular communication in maritime environments, even in the case of breakage of cellular base stations.
The project has finally investigated new solutions for optimizing communication systems from an energy efficiency point of view. In this context, the first challenge involved the reduction of energy consumption in OFDM-like systems, exploring the role played by quantization and bit-loading procedures. Besides, new methods to accelerate 5G channel simulations have been proposed, enabling the analysis and implementation of massive multiple-input multiple-output channel models in practical scenarios. Finally, it evaluated the benefits of the use of semantic and pragmatic communication schemes, which enables strongly reducing the number of messages exchanged without degrading the user experience. Overall, the real cost of cognitive communication architectures has been assessed, studying the trade-off between the widespread use of learning algorithms and the increase of control data overhead.
An efficient fingerprinting-based localization protocol has been developed for the tracking of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs).
Papers:
F. Ardizzon, P. Casari, S. Tomasin, "A RNN-based approach to physical layer authentication in underwater acoustic networks with mobile devices," in Computer Networks, vol. 243, April 2024.
F. Pase, M. Giordani, S. Cavallero, M. Schellmann, J. Eichinger, R. Verdone, and M. Zorzi, “DISNETS: a DIStributed NEural linear Thompson Sampling framework to achieve URLLC in IIoT,” IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications, under review.
S. Lahmer, F. Mason, F. Chiariotti, A. Zanella, “Fast Context Adaptation in Cost-Aware Continual Learning,” in IEEE Transactions on Machine Learning in Communications and Networking, vol. 2, April 2024.
- Societal Impact: development of security communication technologies that enable more reliable communication services and reduce energetic costs than crypto counterparts.
- Economic Impact: development of dedicated patents/standards for security in underwater acoustic communication, which are currently absent.
- Societal Impact: enabling higher energy efficiency in underwater scenarios by exploiting multimodal transmission, and thus optimizing the cost of new devices/applications.
- Economic Impact: development of new acoustic and/or optical modems for underwater scenarios, and thus novel communication patents/standards.
- Societal Impact: enabling communication scenarios in scenarios where current technology is unfeasible, due to high temperatures in volcanology or high pressure in oceanology.
- Economic Impact: developing new prototypal devices and patents/standards for communication in harsh environments.
- Societal Impact: supporting the development of telehealth systems for people with chronic diseases that require continuous monitoring of their physiological parameters.
- Economic impact: reducing the cost of unnecessary hospitalization and clinical practices by shifting medical exams from specialized infrastructures to patient homes.
- Societal Impact: supporting the development of satellite-based communications systems to offer communication services in remote areas where terrestrial networks are absent.
- Economic Impact: developing new prototypal devices and patents/standards for ground-to-satellite communication.
- Societal Impact: enforcing the design of infrastructureless communication architecture that can support public safety operators and civil users in emergency scenarios.
- Economic Impact: reducing the cost of deployment of telecommunication infrastructures by avoiding the installation of terrestrial base stations in new areas.
- Societal impact: reducing the environmental impact of computer simulations used for designing telecommunication systems.
- Economic impact: supporting a more efficient implementation of channel/communication models, thus reducing the energetic cost associated with the network development.
- Societal impact: enabling the transmission of urgent data (e.g., healthcare data) even in the case of highly constrained communication resources (e.g., public safety scenarios).
- Economic impact: reducing the cost of communication infrastructure by supporting a more efficient resource distribution between system users.
- Societal Impact: the development of both optical and multimodal may lead to new opportunities in the context of underwater acoustic communications, for instance preparing the ground for new applications, which now can rely on a more robust and/or cost-efficient communication system.
- Economic Impact: development of dedicated patents/standards or, eventually spin-off, for optical and multimodal underwater communication.
- Societal Impact: these techniques may allow techniques to guarantee the users’ privacy.
- Economic impact: development of new standards, protocols, or patents.
- Societal Impact: supporting the development of satellite-based communications systems to offer communication services in remote areas where terrestrial networks are absent.
- Economic Impact: developing new prototypal devices and patents/standards for ground-to-satellite communication.
Papers:
F. Ardizzon, P. Casari, S. Tomasin, "A RNN-based approach to physical layer authentication in underwater acoustic networks with mobile devices," in Computer Networks, vol. 243, April 2024.
F. Pase, M. Giordani, S. Cavallero, M. Schellmann, J. Eichinger, R. Verdone, and M. Zorzi, “DISNETS: a DIStributed NEural linear Thompson Sampling framework to achieve URLLC in IIoT,” IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications, under review.
S. Lahmer, F. Mason, F. Chiariotti, A. Zanella, “Fast Context Adaptation in Cost-Aware Continual Learning,” in IEEE Transactions on Machine Learning in Communications and Networking, vol. 2, April 2024.
The SEXTET project takes advantage of the collaboration of two main industrial partners, which allows the academic research group to assess the performance of new test beds and prototypical implementations in realistic scenarios that also take into account the specific needs of the industry community. More specifically, Athonet (HPE) has taken charge of the coordination of the overall experimental activities of the project, and focused on the research on the 5G core, by employing a dual strategy that encompasses the framework for 5G core management and considerations regarding energy efficiency. On the other hand, Applicon is contributing to the development of modems for underwater acoustic modems, with an emphasis on applications for acoustic ranging.
Program partners:
- Università di Roma, Tor Vergata
- Politecnico di Torino
- Università di Padova
- Università di Reggio Calabria
- Università di Roma Sapienza
- Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Telecomunicazioni (CNIT)
- Prysmian
- Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)
- Applicon Srl
- Università degli Studi della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli"
- Università degli Studi di Brescia
- Università degli Studi di Napoli Parthenope
- Università degli Studi Di Palermo
- Università degli Studi di Pavia
- Università degli Studi di Trento
- Università degli Studi di Trieste
- Università della Calabria
- Università Politecnica delle Marche
- Podcast Tutto Connesso – Come si comunica sott’acqua? https://www.spreaker.com/user/polimi/tc-84-comunicazioni-subacquee July 30, 2023
Expected KPIs are referred to the whole RESTART project.
Publications
Publications
- Expected: at least 60 publications on 36 months
- Accomplished: 53
- Readiness: 100%
- Expected: at least 18 joint publications on 36 months
- Accomplished: 10 joint publications over 18
- Readiness: 95%
- Expected: 10 talks or event chairing/organizing within SEXTET activities on 36 months
- Accomplished: 5 (among dissemination events and conference presentations)
- Readiness: 86%
- Expected: 2 Proof of Concepts expected by the end of the project
- Accomplished: 0
- Readiness: 0% (work according to plan)
- Expected: at least 36 meetings
- Accomplished: 11 meetings
- Readiness: 52%
- Expected: 2 items over 36 months
- Accomplished: 0
- Readiness: 0%
- Expected: 3
- Accomplished: 0
- Readiness Level: 0% (work according to plan)
- Expected: 6
- Accomplished: 0
- Readiness Level: 0% (work according to plan)
M1 - Concept Design Frozen
- Expected: 12/31/23
- Accomplished: 12/31/23
- Readiness: 100%
- Expected: 12/31/24
- Accomplished: N/A
- Readiness: 0%
- Expected: 12/31/23
- Accomplished: 12/31/23
- Readiness: 100%
- Expected: 12/31/24
- Accomplished: N/A
- Readiness: 0%
- Expected: 12/31/25
- Accomplished: N/A
- Readiness: 0%
Researchers involved: 800
Collaboration proposals
The SEXTET Project is open to collaborations on the following topics:
- Underwater and non-terrestrial network architectures
- Novel antennas for extreme high-frequency transmission/reception
- Remote monitoring systems for tele-health
- Resource optimization techniques for 5G New Radio
For any proposal of collaboration within the project please contact the project PI.
SEXTET News: