Abstract: This talk will first overview the NSF Aerial Experimentation and Research Platform on Advanced Wireless (AERPAW), an outdoor infrastructure supporting research and experimentation with software-defined radios and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). We will discuss the significance of AERPAW's digital twin to support remote development and testing of artificial intelligence (AI) aided solutions for UAV trajectory optimization and wireless parameter adaptation. We will provide various research examples conducted over the NSF AERPAW platform, including 3D spectrum measurements and sharing, propagation modeling, wireless localization, and Kriging-based spectrum interpolation. We will also show a brief real-time demo on how any researcher can access AERPAW's portal to initiate and develop an experiment.  

Ismail Guvenc is a Professor at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at NC State University. His recent research interests include 5G/6G wireless networks, digital twins, UAV communications, and millimeter/terahertz wireless systems. He has published nearly 400 conference/journal papers and book chapters, several standardization contributions, four books, and over 30 U.S. patents. Dr. Guvenc is the PI and the director for the NSF AERPAW project and a site director for the NSF BWAC I/UCRC center. He is an IEEE Fellow, a senior member of the National Academy of Inventors, and recipient of several awards, including NC State COE Alcoa Distinguished Engineering Research Award (2023), NC State Faculty Scholar Award (2021), R. Ray Bennett Faculty Fellow Award (2019), FIU COE Faculty Research Award (2016), NSF CAREER Award (2015), Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Award (2014), and USF Outstanding Dissertation Award (2006).

Abstract: This talk explores the growing synergies between robotics, specifically flying robots, and next-generation wireless networks such as 6G. An overview of ongoing research at EURECOM will be presented, focusing on how advanced wireless technologies can empower aerial robotic systems, and conversely, how robotic platforms can enhance network capabilities by providing extended connectivity, environmental awareness, and accurate sensing. The talk will also showcase real-world experimentation using OpenAirInterface and the custom platform developed by the Drone4Wireless laboratory at EURECOM, offering practical insights and results at the intersection of robotics and wireless innovation.

David Gesbert is Professor and Director of EURECOM, Sophia Antipolis, France. He previously headed the Communications Systems Department of EURECOM. Within his area of research, he welcomes collaboration with brilliant students and passionate researchers in the fields of communication theory, signal processing for (wireless) networks, information theory, optimization and connected robotics. He has previously been named in the Thomson-Reuters List of Highly Cited Researchers in Computer Science. He is a Fellow of IEEE. He is a Board member for the OpenAirInterface (OAI) Software Alliance.  He also held  an Advanced ERC grant on the topic of Smart Device Communications. Since 2020, he holds a 3IA Chair funded on the topic of AI for future IoT Networks.