Research Projects

Wireless networks have advanced significantly in the past decade, achieving greater capacity, lower latency, and improved spectral efficiency. Innovations like software-defined radios (SDRs), MIMO systems, and beamforming have transformed wireless performance. Sixth generation (6G) systems aim to enhance these gains with advanced multiple-access techniques, enhanced latency and spectral efficiency, and agile/aesthetic hardware to enable transformative applications. With over 13 million 5G base stations and 18 billion mobile devices projected globally, resource and energy efficiency remain critical challenges. A typical 5G base station consumes twice the power of a 4G one due to increasing user demands, necessitating better spectrum utilization. Thus, next-generation systems focus on advanced multiple access techniques to maximize connectivity while minimizing latency, power usage, and spectrum usage. Initiatives like India’s ‘Bharat 6G Mission’ and ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’ aim India to be a global leader in technology development and this project bolsters this vision through development of optimized multi-access systems and spectrally efficient beamforming to advance communication technology. Research on environment-aware agile antennas for optimized multi-access and spectrally efficient beamforming would be instrumental in pushing the limits for next-generation communication systems. Design of in-band full-duplex antenna arrays: There is a huge interest in the lower millimeter-wave (mm-wave) band for numerous 6G use cases. In-band full-duplex (IBFD) technology maximizes the spectrum utilization by using the same resource for duplex communication. Herein, self-interference cancellation (SIC) at the antenna stage is quite crucial that must obtain isolation levels better than 50-80dB. Large planar hybrid beamforming arrays for the mm-wave IBFD systems need to be developed for wideband operation. Herein, strategies to obtain wideband SIC at different steering angles is to be investigated. Design of multifunctional fluid antennas: Fluid antennas achieve ultimate diversity and multiplexing benefits that have been unprecedented in mobile communications. Transparent fluids will enable seamless and aesthetic integration in modern. It integrates with applications in massive MIMO, Internet-of-things, Intelligent reconfigurable surface, AI technologies to enhance their performance. However, it can only be realized if the effort in the development of hardware is a grand success. Accordingly, the focus will be on antenna design using novel materials is customary with a goal to improve the reconfigurability time and safety of operation along with seamless integration with modern applications. First the simulation results would be obtained using ANSYS HFSS followed by experimental demonstration. Prototyping of proposed antennas would create a proof-of-concept for disruptive technologies to appear as part of 6G and beyond communication systems.