TITAN researchers Abhimanyu Gulia, Dr Mauro Dragone and Prof Mathini Sellathurai at Heriot-Watt University are working on pioneering a new frontier in intelligent systems by integrating sensing, communication, computation, and…
TITAN researchers Abhimanyu Gulia, Dr Mauro Dragone and Prof Mathini Sellathurai at Heriot-Watt University are working on pioneering a new frontier in intelligent systems by integrating sensing, communication, computation, and control to manage complex information processing tasks. Building on the already developed RoboConnect control platform, the Home-Connect project is advancing two groundbreaking systems: Wi-SenCom, which enables simultaneous sensing and communication using Wi-Fi at 60 GHz, and MA-CASS, which focuses on adaptive, context-aware semantic communication. Together, these innovations promise to transform the way environments, devices, and robots interact and communicate.
The technologies developed through Home-Connect have powerful applications across smart environments, industrial IoT, and healthcare sectors. In smart homes, Wi-SenCom enables real-time environmental sensing and activity recognition while maintaining secure, high-bandwidth communication. MA-CASS ensures that only the most important data is transmitted, boosting system efficiency. RoboConnect simplifies the integration of robots into home settings, supporting tasks like cleaning, monitoring, and assisting the elderly or disabled. In industrial IoT, Wi-SenCom provides secure, high-bandwidth connectivity while preserving privacy, MA-CASS optimises machine-to-machine communications, and RoboConnect streamlines robotic automation. In healthcare, these technologies enable patient monitoring, efficient data transmission, and robotic assistance for patient care tasks, offering valuable support to healthcare professionals.
Wi-SenCom leverages IEEE 802.11ad/ay standards and the 60-GHz frequency band to achieve secure, interference-free, high-bandwidth connectivity and accurate sensing. It demonstrates the ability to perform simultaneous sensing and communication using Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) devices without requiring any hardware modifications. MA-CASS introduces a saliency-based approach to semantic machine-to-machine communication, selecting critical features of data based on application context at the source to prioritise important information and save bandwidth. RoboConnect acts as a platform-agnostic plugin, enabling users to integrate and program robots in smart environments without prior technical expertise. It ensures compatibility with mainstream platforms and standardises robot functionality and capability data. This Roboconnect initiative is a collaborative effort between the Signal Processing for Communication group (SPCOM) and the Care Research Group at the National Robotarium (CARE).
Looking forward, the project will further test Wi-SenCom in real-world indoor environments and continue optimising its spectrogram fingerprinting algorithms. MA-CASS will focus on developing edge-based saliency extraction models and refining multi-lightweight, specific models compared to generalised algorithms. There is also consideration for launching a startup to focus on Wi-Fi sensing technologies at both 2.5 GHz and 60 GHz. Wi-SenCom represents a significant leap forward in creating spatial intelligence for machines and robots.
The research is a part of TITAN Lighthouse Project 2: User-Centric Service-Aware Radio Access Control, Integration and Optimisation. The Lighthouse Project 2 (LP2) outcomes will support broader societal goals.
TITAN is part of the Federated Telecoms Hubs (FTH) alongside CHEDDAR, HASC, and JOINER. Together, we conduct world-leading R&D and create a new knowledge-sharing framework, roadmap technology, develop skills, and engage with standards while instilling a commercialisation-focused mindset across academia.
If you have any questions about the research discussed in this article, please contact titan-enquiries@eng.cam.ac.uk.
