Research Areas
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PrivacyMic: Privacy Preserving Microphones
Sound offers and effective way for computing systems to understand the world around them and the actions of users. However, always on and cloud-connected smart devices raise privacy concerns about how speech and private conversations are recorded, stored, and analyzed. PrivacyMic use wideband microphones to capture ultrasound and filter out speech frequencies in hardware before they are digitized, enabling privacy-preserving activity detection.
1 Award
1 Papers
1 Video
TouchCom: Groundless Body Channel Communication
Communicating by touch offers a far more natural, intuitive, and intimate way of communicating digital data as compared to traditional wireless broadcast methods. TouchCom allows users to explicitly control when and with what they share data with, by sending bi-directional signals along the body to devices of interest. This enables wearable computing systems to gain contextual awareness of user’s actions and intentions and provide appropriate feedback.
3 Papers
3 Video
Wall++: Room-Scale Interactive and Context-Aware Sensing
Our low-cost sensing approach turns walls into smart infrastructure. Instead of merely separating spaces, walls can now enhance rooms with sensing and interactivity. Our wall treatment and sensing hardware can track users' touch and gestures, as well as estimate body pose. By capturing airborne electromagnetic noise, we can also detect what appliances are active and where they are located.
1 Award
1 Papers
1 Video
5 Featured Press
Resonant Cavity Enabled Wireless Power Transfer
Wireless power technology is typically limited to 1-D charging cradles and 2-D charging pads. In this work we explore means of providing power to large 3-D volumes of space using the natural electromagnetic modes of hollow metallic structures to produce uniform magnetic fields, which can simultaneously power multiple receivers contained nearly anywhere inside.
2 Video
8 Featured Press
Interactive RFID
UHF RFID tags offer a minimalistic means of instrumenting everyday objects. By monitoring changes in the low level communication channel parameters between the tag and reader it is possible to turn an RFID tag in to an ultra low cost, paper thin, battery free sensor. Applications include passive activity inferencing, interactive physical objects, and human robot interaction.
5 Papers
5 Video
7 Featured Press
EMI based Sensing and Communication
EM-Sense & EBy exploiting the unintentional electromagnetic (EM) noise emitted by many everyday electro-mechanical objects it is possible to robustly classify the device by type and determine its individual identity, owing to their different internal operation and variations in manufacturing. Furthermore, when properly modulated these electromagnetic emissions can be used as an untapped communication channel capable of transmitting arbitrary data through user touch.
3 Papers
2 Video
10 Featured Press
Energy Autonomous Sensing and Computing Systems
This project encompasses a number of efforts in developing energy harvesting, battery free sensing systems that can be easily embedded into everyday objects and thus allowing for near perpetual operation. Topics include ambient energy harvesting techniques, platform architecture and power management, and debugging tools that deal with intermittent power.
1 Video
Tech Transfer
NFC-WISP
The NFC-WISP is a wirelessly powered near-field RFID platform that is enhanced with onboard computing, sensing capabilities, and an E-ink display. This open-source platform is also compliant with NFC RFID readers commonly found in handheld devices and smart phones and offers designers and researchers a means to rapidly develop custom NFC applications.
3 Award
3 Papers
2 Video
Open Source
Free-range Resonant Electrical Energy Delivery (FREE-D)
The FREE-D system uses magnetic coupled resonance to efficiently transfer power wirelessly to implanted heart pumps known as LVADs. The use of wireless power eliminates the need for the transcutaneous driveline, which is the leading cause of LVAD complications and patient re-hospitalization.
2 Award
8 Papers
1 Video
8 Featured Press
Wireless Ambient Radio Power (WARP)
Radio frequency signals provide a near ubiquitous energy source due to the large number of TV, radio, cellular, and WiFi transmitters throughout our urban environments. The Wireless Ambient Radio Power (WARP) project harvests and converts these signals into power for use in an variety of applications.
3 Papers
1 Video
3 Featured Press
Wireless Resonant Energy Link (WREL)
This project explores the use of magnetically coupled resonators to safely deliver 10s-100s of watts of power wirelessly to receivers. Our key contribution is the development of adaptive tuning techniques that enable near constant power transfer efficiency, as a function of varying transmitter-to-receiver range and orientation as well as changes in the loads power consumption.
6 Papers
3+ Video
2 Tech Transfer
7 Featured Press
Wireless Identification and Sensing Platform (WISP)
The WISP is a programmable, battery-free sensing and computing platform designed to explore sensor-enhanced UHF RFID applications. This open-source platform communicates with and harvests all its power from commercially available UHF RFID readers. As part of Intel Research’s WISP Challenge 500 WISPs have been donated to over 50 universities worldwide.
4 Award
15 Papers
2 Video
Open Source Tech Transfer
Robotic Cable Inspection System
The cable inspection robot is designed to autonomously navigate power distribution lines in search of incipient faults. The goal is to provide estimation on the remaining lifetime of the power cable to enable cost effective maintenance practices. The diagnostic sensor array includes thermal, visual, dielectric, and acoustic sensors.
1 Video