| Dr Des McLernon, School of Electronic & Electrical Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK |
| Mon 18 Jul 2016, 15:00 - 16:00 |
| AGB Seminar Room, AGB Building, King’s Buildings, EH9 3JL |
If you have a question about this talk, please contact: Iman Tavakkolnia (s1371647)
Abstract: In just a decade, the amount of IP data handled by wireless networks will have increased by well over a factor of 100, from under 3 exabytes (3x1018) annually in 2010 to over 190 exabytes by 2018 - and the prediction is to exceed a staggering 500 exabytes by 2020. The move from 4G to 5G (predicted 2020 rollout) will require an aggregate data rate (bits/sec/unit area) increase of approximately 1000 to provide users with 1Gbps rates. At the same time the emerging Internet of Things (IoT) revolution will mean billions of new low power, internet-connected devices in sensors, cars, buildings, healthcare, wearables, etc., creating both security and communications challenges.
In parallel, another technological revolution is taking place with robotics. Robots (fixed, mobile, UAVs/drones) have recently been named as one of the world’s ‘eight great technologies’. In particular, by virtue of their mobility they can be used to assist in meeting the huge wireless communications demands outlined above. At Leeds we have been examining different aspects of communications involving robots and drones (e.g., efficient energy harvesting for robotic communications and optimisation of the performance of drone-based small cells). So in this talk, I will look at one particular aspect and introduce the novel concept of intelligent trajectory planners. I will show how they allow mobile robots to find the optimum position (in a wireless fading channel) from which to upload data and thus minimise energy usage. Finally, I will outline other open research problems.
Biography: Dr Des McLernon is Reader in Signal Processing in the School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, he is also associate editor of IET Signal Processing journal and has published over 260 papers in the field of communications and signal processing. His research interests include energy harvesting, communication strategies and energy-efficient intelligent trajectory planning – all for robotic applications.