MIT discovery that will be the key to mobile connectivity

During the last years The number of devices we have in Europe connected to wireless networks has exploded. In homes and offices, almost all devices are connected via WiFi networks, whether 2.4 or 5 GHz. Smartphones all have 4G connections and most new ones have 5G connections. In addition, Bluetooth is usually always on to be able to use devices such as smartwatches or wireless headphones.

All that generates a real tangle of signals in the airspace This can cause problems at certain times, due to their saturation. In fact, it is common to have to specifically configure WiFi routers so that this does not cause connection or speed problems.

And the Internet of Things has not improved the situation. There are homes with dozens of connected devices, including smart speakers, light bulbs, smart vacuums, or smart TVs. And now, cars are joining this trend, which will only make the number of connected devices skyrocket.

What is MIMO

In a world where wireless signals are increasingly numerous, having a device that receives a certain type of signals but can also block unnecessary onesit could be a success. That’s what researchers at MIT (PDF), one of the most advanced technology centers in the world, have been working on.

What they have designed is a new wireless receiver for millimeter-wave multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) signals with a new architecture capable of controlling different antennas that can detect interference much more accurately than their predecessors. MIMO systems have multiple antennas, allowing them to transmit and receive signals from different directions. These types of receivers can detect and block interference quickly, before unwanted signals are amplified, improving performance.

Digital MIMO systems have an analog part and a digital part, but if a strong, interfering signal from a different direction arrives at the receiver at the same time as a desired signal, This can saturate the amplifier and drown out the signal you want to receive.. If the interference is amplified along with the desired signal, it will be more difficult to filter it out later.

Block certain signals

The key to this new MIMO architecture is that it has a special circuit that can Detect and cancel unwanted signals using a compact, low-power, configurable controllermaking signal cancellation faster and more efficient. This is not only more efficient in terms of speed and connection quality, but it also saves power, which is always a critical aspect of smartphones.

The new receiver can be at least four times more effective than current models, while being able to be disconnected to save energy if necessary. In this way, it could be activated only when the network requested it, when a drop in connection speed or an increase in demand was noted.

The devices designed by these scientists can detect and cancel an unwanted signal before it passes to the rest of the receiver, blocking interference before it affects other parts of the device. Negar Reiskarimian, assistant professor of professional development in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) at the X-Window Consortium and an author of the study, says that “this is quite important, especially because we use the same integrated platform as everyone else“. This work received the best student paper award at the IEEE Symposium on Radio Frequency Circuits.

Small and low consumption

As if it wasn’t already striking that they had created a device that could be tuned, the researchers designed them to use less modem space and consume less power than current signal jammers. And this was essential, because if the device was too big or consumed too much power, it would be useless to implement it in devices on the market.

The MIMO architecture designed by this team fits into a 3.2-square-millimeter processor while maintaining the function of blocking signals up to four times stronger than those that other devices could block. That is, Not only was it more powerful, it took up less space. than current designs.

But the researchers do not want to stop there. They intend to extend their device to larger systems as well as make them compatible with next-generation wireless networks, 6Gbecause it operates on frequencies that typically cause problems with satellites. And there are more and more such devices, given the rise of companies that offer connectivity through them, such as Star Link.