SBIR Phase I: Electrically Reconfigurable Antennas for Wireless Local Area Networks

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This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project aims to develop commercially viable electrically reconfigurable antennas for wireless Local Area Networks (LAN). Reconfigurable antennas coupled with cognitive radios and Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) systems can significantly improve the performance of next generation wireless communication by adaptively establishing the strongest possible wireless link for transmission. The intellectual merit of this research involves using a wide array of preliminary work, prototypes, and intellectual property to transition reconfigurable antenna technology to practical wireless LAN products by i) developing compact reconfigurable antennas to be integrated into wireless LAN access point, ii) demonstrating the performance improvement achievable with these reconfigurable antennas in legacy wireless LAN access points, and iii) quantifying the potential performance increase in future wireless LAN access points, with protocol stacks that are designed to leverage reconfigurable antenna capabilities. The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is to provide to the market of wireless devices a novel technology capable of improving the wireless connectivity while diminishing the overall power consumption. The reconfigurable antenna technology will enable the development of competitive consumer products and innovative applications, including products for wireless personal, local and metro area networks; laptop, cellphone, and smartphone data communications; gaming and other home networked devices. Performance driven market like i) home and enterprise networking, ii) wireless high definition audio/video transmission, and iii) 3G data offloading will strongly benefit from this technology. Beyond the commercial impact of electrically reconfigurable antennas, another broader impact component is to foster technical innovation and design among undergraduate cooperative education students. VariWaves through its strong cooperation with Drexel University will seek to place students in stimulating work environments where they will be exposed to real-world applications of their interdisciplinary education.