Notre Dame, South Bend Team Up On Advanced Wireless Technology Research

These stories were originally published in the ASEE First Bell, on Monday, March 21, 2017.  

The South Bend (IN) Tribune  (3/20) reports that researchers with Notre Dame Wireless Institute have partnered with the city of South Bend, Indiana to demonstrate “the latest in wireless technology Monday as part of an effort to build a city-scale testbed here for advanced wireless research, including the next generation of Wi-Fi.” Researchers on Monday “conducted a test involving a drone and a small-scale wireless network consisting of two separate antennae — one atop the center itself and one affixed to a nearby mobile research vehicle.” Researchers measured the “level of communication between the drone and network as part of an effort to better understand how future networks might best communicate with autonomous vehicles and drones.”WNDU-TV

 South Bend, IN (3/20) reports that the researchers are angling to win “a $100 million competition conducted by the National Science Foundation,” noting that “a share of the proceeds would be used to set up $25 million worth of high tech antennas from one end of South Bend to the other.” WBND-TV

 South Bend, IN (3/20) reports that if the researchers win the grant, “drones could one day be flying around downtown doing jobs for the city.” The piece quotes Notre Dame Wireless Institute’s Nick Laneman saying, “What we’re looking toward – we’re building toward – here is the idea of network control of a number of drones flying throughout the city for various use cases.”