NeTS: Small: Vibratory Communications and Applications

人们对数据通信的研究范围很广，包括射频 (RF)、声学和可见光。 通过振动通道进行通信的可能性尚未被探索过。该项目探讨了在所有现代智能手机中嵌入的振动电机和加速度计中通过振动进行数字通信的基本限制和新算法。 相应的数据传输速度可能与近场通信（NFC）或蓝牙等已建立的通信方式不匹配，但我们建议，当安全性至关重要时，振动通信可以提供固有的优势：例如，任何两个设备都可以通过互相敲击自发地交换安全密钥；佩戴智能手表的用户只需将手表与笔记本电脑接触即可将密码输入笔记本电脑；不应该留下可追踪痕迹的秘密通信也许也可以是振动通信的应用。 该项目启动了通过振动进行可靠和高效通信的第一原理研究，并建议在振动执行器和传感器上开发具体的通信/网络堆栈。该系统的容量和可行性将在不同平台（智能手机、智能手表、指环）上进行测试，重点关注现实世界的用例和应用程序。该项目的核心研究分为4个主线：（1）对振动发射器和接收器进行建模并了解此类系统的理论能力； (2) 结合新技术和现有技术来设计振动无线电； (3)开发媒体访问控制层，控制信道访问和故障恢复； (4) 了解振动引起的信息泄漏（和侧信道）并开发缓解这些信息的技术。

Data communication has been studied over a wide range of modalities, including radio frequency (RF), acoustic and visible light. The possibility of communicating over the vibratory channel has been relatively unexplored. This project explores the fundamental limits and new algorithms associated with digital communication via vibrations in the context of vibration motors and accelerometers embedded inside all modern smartphones. The corresponding speed of data transfer may not match established communication modalities such as Near-Field Communication (NFC) or Bluetooth, but we propose that vibratory communication offers inherent advantages whenever security is vital: for instance, any two devices may be able to spontaneously exchange security keys by tapping each other; a user wearing a smart watch may enter her passwords into her laptop by merely bringing the watch in contact with her laptop; clandestine communications that should not leave a trackable trace could perhaps also be an application of vibratory communication. This project initiates a first-principles study of reliable and efficient communication via vibration and proposes to develop a concrete communication/networking stack on vibratory actuators and sensors. The system's capacity and viability will be tested across different platforms (smartphone, smartwatch, finger rings), with a focus on real-world use-cases and applications. The core research in this project is divided into 4 main threads: (1) modeling the vibratory transmitters and receivers and understanding the theoretical capacity of such systems; (2) designing a vibratory radio using a combination of new and existing techniques; (3) developing a Medium Access Control layer that controls channel access and fault recovery; (4) understanding the information leakage (and side channels) due to vibrations and developing techniques to mitigate them.