We are pleased to announce the start of a new research project at the MSE Lab, funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG).
The project, titled "Acoustic Communication and Localization of Sensor Particles," explores innovative approaches to communication and sensing in environments where electromagnetic waves reach their limits.
Background and Motivation
While today's communication systems predominantly rely on electromagnetic waves, their use in dense or opaque media is severely restricted due to strong attenuation.
Acoustic communication, on the other hand, enables reliable data transmission in such environments - and is already established in medical implants, underwater sensor networks, and industrial process monitoring.
Building on this foundation, our project aims to take acoustic communication one step further:
We investigate how miniaturised sensor particles can move with the flow inside a medium, take in-situ measurements, and transmit their data acoustically in real time.
Once their position can be determined, these measurements provide spatially resolved insights into the internal structure and dynamic behaviour of fluids and materials.
Research Objectives
The project focuses on three core aspects:
- Modeling and Simulation: Development of a parametric acoustic channel model to describe sound propagation in realistic media and to evaluate suitable localization and communication schemes.
- Experimental Validation: Implementation of an experimental platform based on software-defined radios (SDRs) and the GNU Radio framework to bridge simulation and physical experiments.
- System Design for Sensor Particles: Investigation of miniaturized acoustic transmitters, including electronics, firmware, and signal processing, optimized for stringent power, mass, and size constraints.
Outlook
The project will contribute to a deeper understanding of acoustic wave propagation and enable novel measurement concepts for process monitoring and smart sensing applications. Further details can be found in the Project description.
