PFI-TT: Prototyping a Multiple-Input Multiple-Output Single-Carrier Modulation Turbo Transceiver for Robust Underwater Wireless Communications.

该PFI项目的广泛影响/商业潜力是在几个水下技术市场实现可靠的无线通信，包括海洋勘探和发现、水下娱乐、渔业、海底油气工业、水下环境和基础设施监测以及军事。该项目旨在提高水下无线通信链路的可靠性和信息数据速率，比现有技术提高一个数量级。当应用于自主水下航行器（auv）和无线传感器网络时，所提出的技术在降低运营成本、提高效率、降低安全风险以及实现水下物联网（IoUT）等新功能方面具有巨大潜力。从工程和创业角度发展多学科教育和学生培训，通过吸引妇女和代表性不足的群体，进一步影响下一代劳动力。提出的项目弥合了Matlab后处理和多输入多输出（MIMO） Turbo收发器的实时硬件实现之间的知识差距。MIMO收发器通过多个发送单元传输多个数据流以提高数据速率，并使用多个接收单元来提高可靠性。在过去的研究中，主要研究者通过海洋实验和后处理证明，Turbo接收机利用先进的纠错编码和信道均衡技术，可以有效地对抗敌方水声通信信道。该项目的主要目标是设计并验证MIMO Turbo收发器在水声环境下的实时操作原型，在1 - 10公里距离内实现50 - 100千比特每秒（kbps）的信息数据速率，可靠性为99.99%。与现有的水声通信系统相比，这至少是一个数量级的改进。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this PFI project is enabling reliable wireless communications in several underwater technology markets which include ocean exploration and discovery, underwater recreation, fishery industry, subsea oil and gas industry, underwater environmental and infrastructure monitoring, and military. The project aims at increasing reliability and information data rates in underwater wireless communication links by an order of magnitude over existing technologies. When applied to Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) and wireless sensor networks, the proposed technology leads to great potential in reducing operational costs, improving efficiency, reducing safety risks, and enabling new capabilities such as Internet of Underwater Things (IoUT). The development of multidisciplinary education and student training from both engineering and entrepreneurial perspectives further impacts the next generation workforce by attracting women and underrepresented groups.The proposed project bridges the knowledge gap between Matlab post-processing and real-time hardware implementations of Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) Turbo transceivers. A MIMO transceiver transmits multiple data streams via multiple transmit elements to increase data rate, and uses multiple receive elements to improve the reliability. The past research of the principle investigator have demonstrates via ocean experiments and post processing that Turbo receiver is effective in combatting hostile underwater acoustic communication channels by utilizing advanced error-correction coding and channel equalization. The main goal of this project is to design and validate a prototype that demonstrates real-time operation of the MIMO Turbo transceiver in underwater acoustic environment, achieving 50 - 100 kilo-bits-per-second (kbps) information data rate over 1 - 10 km distance and at 99.99% reliability. This is at least an order of magnitude improvement over existing underwater acoustic communication systems.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.