Networks for motion and motion for networks

Sie, Emerson

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129822 Copy

Description

Title

Networks for motion and motion for networks

Author(s)

Sie, Emerson

Issue Date

2025-06-24

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Vasisht, Deepak

Doctoral Committee Chair(s)

Vasisht, Deepak

Committee Member(s)

• Choudhury, Romit R
• Caesar, Matthew
• Driggs-Campbell, Katherine

Department of Study

Electrical & Computer Eng

Discipline

Electrical & Computer Engr

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Degree Level

Dissertation

Keyword(s)

• Wireless Networks
• Wireless Sensing
• Radar
• GPS

Abstract

Wireless systems enable key sensing and connectivity capabilities for mobile platforms. However, existing wireless systems face challenges, preventing important applications from being realized. First, current sensing techniques are too coarse-grained or computationally intensive, limiting practicality for small, agile platforms such as drones and robots. Second, current connectivity systems remain vulnerable to environments where signals are blocked, preventing connectivity in agriculture and geo-location indoors. In this thesis, we address these challenges by exploring the interplay between networks and motion. Specifically, we contribute techniques for improving mobile platforms using networks and improving networks using mobile platforms. First, we contribute a new wireless sensing primitive for agile motion sensing via surface-parallel Doppler shift. We use this to perform accurate odometry and simultaneous localization and mapping on embedded mmWave radars. Next, we expand the scope of rural connectivity for digital agriculture. We contribute an agile and low-cost broadband connectivity model for under-canopy robots operating on remote farms. Our system exploits horizontal and vertical motion of a cellular base station to optimize coverage and throughput to clients. Finally, we tackle geo-location in GPS-denied indoor environments. Although many indoor localization systems have been proposed through the years, they remain too impractical for widespread real-world deployment. To address this, we describe a localization system that works with any unmodified Wi-Fi device. We show how pedestrian crowdsourcing can bootstrap this system in any environment containing enough Wi-Fi APs without dedicated human effort. We believe this is a promising step towards realizing ubiquitous GPS-level localization in urban environments across the world.

Graduation Semester

2025-08

Type of Resource

Thesis

Handle URL

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129822

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2025 Emerson Sie

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