Joint Research of Ikerlan-IK4 and MU on Robust Industrial Wireless Communications

Mondragon Unibertsitatea and Ikerlan-IK4 are working together in the research and development of robust wireless communications transceivers for industrial environments. Research groups from both institutions, guided by Dr. Iñaki Val (Ikerlan-IK4, Communications Area) and Dr. Mikel Mendicute (MU, Signal Theory and Communications Area) are working on the design of reconfigurable and reliable wireless communications using Software Defined Radio (SDR) and Cognitive Radio techniques.

The main innovation of this research project is the improvement of the reliability of industrial wireless communications through the real-time reconfiguration of the firmware and software depending on information provided by spectrum sensing and communications error measurement. Furthermore, the project aims at proposing new modulation and demodulation techniques specially suited to the hostility of industrial and transport scenarios.

This joint research framework, where three on-going PhD theses are been developed, has been funded through MOVITIC and ITIREI projects, which have been funded by the Department of Industry, Trade and Tourism of the Basque Government through Etortek and Saiotek research programs. Several European universities are also involved in this project, including the University of Edinburgh and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL).