CRII: CNS: Building A Framework for Software-Based Wireless Sub-Protocols

该奖项全部或部分由2021年美国救援计划法案（公法117-2）资助。弹性是下一代无线协议的关键挑战。为了使无线设备成为我们基础设施的重要组成部分，它们必须能够适应不断变化的环境条件，并在极端情况下发挥作用。然而，当前的无线协议具有有限的适应性。这个项目探索了一类新的无线协议，称为“无线子协议”。无线子协议是建立在现有无线协议基础上的新协议，但增加了它们的能力和适应性。无线子协议仅在软件中实现，不需要更改设备的硬件。无线子协议增加了额外的适应性，为未来的弹性无线协议铺平了道路，只需进行软件更新。无线协议必须具有更大的灵活性，以适应新无线设备需求的不断扩展的用例，并实现超弹性无线系统。为了满足对适应性和弹性的需求，该项目探索了构建无线协议分层方法的新想法，其中使用“无线子协议”将附加功能添加到无线协议中。无线子协议是建立在另一个无线协议之上的协议。无线子协议为基础协议提供了一种方法，以增加其超出原始协议设计者预期的能力。通过测量和控制用户空间软件中的物理层属性，可以在现有协议之上构建通信方案。这种创新技术允许设备获得新的功能，从而适应性，只有一个软件更新。子协议与基础协议共存，允许应用程序开发人员决定何时使用其中一个。该项目将建立一个框架，用于原型设计，构建和测试不同类型的无线子协议。该项目将使用无线测试平台快速原型化新的无线子协议。该项目将使无线子协议的一个新的研究领域，影响未来的无线设备的设计。该项目开发的技术将提供给技术标准化委员会，以正式确定无线子协议的方法。由于创新技术是在软件中实现的，它降低了进入门槛，更容易接近新生。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2).Resiliency is a crucial challenge for the next generation of wireless protocols. For wireless devices to become an essential part of our infrastructure, they must be resilient to changing environmental conditions and function under extreme cases. However, current wireless protocols have limited adaptability. This project explores a new class of wireless protocols called “wireless sub-protocols”. Wireless sub-protocols are new protocols built on existing wireless protocols but increase their capabilities and adaptability. Wireless sub-protocols are implemented only in software and require no changes to a device’s hardware. Wireless sub-protocols add extra adaptability paving the way for future resilient wireless protocols with only a software update.More flexibility in wireless protocols is necessary to accommodate the ever-expanding use cases that new wireless devices demand and bring about ultra-resilient wireless systems. To address the need for adaptability and resiliency, this project explores the novel idea of building a wireless protocol layering approach where additional functionality is added to a wireless protocol using “wireless sub-protocols”. A wireless sub-protocol is a protocol built on top of another wireless protocol. A wireless sub-protocol provides a way for a base protocol to increase its abilities beyond what the original protocol designers intended. A communication scheme can be built on top of an existing protocol by measuring and controlling the physical layer properties in user space software. This innovative technique allows a device to gain new capabilities and thus adaptability, with only a software update. Sub-protocols coexist with the base protocol, allowing the application developer to decide when to use one or the other. This project will build a framework for prototyping, building, and testing different types of wireless sub-protocols. The project will use wireless testbeds to prototype new wireless sub-protocols rapidly. This project will enable a new research area of wireless sub-protocols, impacting future designs of wireless devices. The technology the project develops will be available to technical standardization committees to formalize approaches to wireless sub-protocols. Since the innovation technique is implemented in software, it lowers the barrier of entry and is much more approachable to new students.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.