The Radio Frequency and Communication Technologies (RFCT) research laboratory is a team of highly qualified researchers and engineers with international and local experience, providing expertise in Embedded RF Prototyping, Sustainable RF Technologies, and Seamless RF Device Management Through Software. RFCT enables collaborative multidisciplinary and industry driven research and development.
Radio Frequency and Communication Technologies (RFCT) Lab
GET IN TOUCH
Contact Dr Negin Shariati
The Faculty of Engineering and IT (FEIT) facility for Radio Frequency and Communication Technologies (RFCT) brings to together a team of highly qualified researchers and engineers with international and local experience, providing expertise in variety of multidisciplinary areas that encompass: Embedded RF Prototyping, Sustainable RF Technologies, Full Stack Wireless Development, Seamless Device Management through Software and Cybersecurity.
The RFCT facility aims to enable collaborative multidisciplinary and industry driven research and development at UTS’s Ultimo city campus. RFCT is a fully equipped R&D facility and one of the only University R&D facilities in Australia capable of taking an idea from the conceptual/theoretical phase to a working prototype under one roof.
The mission of the RF and Communications R&D facility is to facilitate the development of next generation RF-based devices and supporting technologies with a broad range of application across a variety of sectors such as agriculture, telecommunications, healthcare, manufacturing, space, transport, cybersecurity, and smart cities.
Overview
Demand for data communications over wireless networks continues to be on an upward trajectory. This demand is underpinned by the birth of many different applications that require connectivity through RF-based communication links. Future RF-based devices, such as base stations, access points or sensor/IoT end-nodes, must not only be able to operate reliably over highly congested links, but also be integrated into electronic/embedded devices in a manner which minimises their resource requirement footprint.
RF and communication technologies are the arteries that will enable the transfer of information from next-generation wireless networks and IoT devices to their intended destinations.
Our research and development focus in RFCT is on full stack IoT designs, from low level electronics and RF circuit design to high level wireless communication. We are also exploring how Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) can be integrated into the DNA of the next generation of secure RF and communication technologies.
Some of our current multidisciplinary R&D areas are:
Application-specific Technologies
- Digital Agriculture
- Industry 4.0
- Synthetic Sensing
- Biomedical wearables
- Medical Imaging
- Tactile Internet
- Wireless Mesh Networks
- Urban Archaeology
- Indoor/Outdoor Localisation
- Cybersecurity
Sustainable RF Technologies
- RF Energy Harvesting Circuits and Systems
- Simultaneous Wireless Information and Power Transfer (SWIPT)
- Low-Power Electronics for IoT devices
- Wireless Power Transmission
- Self-sustainable Sensors
Devices
- 3-D Electronics and RF devices
- Integrated and Embedded Circuits and Systems
- Miniaturized Antennas, Rectennas, and RF Sensors
- Metamaterial Inspired Sensors
- Reconfigurable Structures (antennas, metamaterials)
Intelligent RF and Communications Technologies:
- Low Power Edge ML
- AI and Machine Learning Driven Devices.
- Programmable Machine Learning-based Electronic Surfaces.
- Intelligent IoT Devices
- Cross-layer Optimization using Machine Learning for Network Enabled Electronics.
- AI/ML for Next Generation Intelligent Transportation Systems.
Seamless Device Management Through Software
- Autonomous Embedded Communication Systems
- Distributed Control and Optimisation of Non-linear Systems
- Sensing and Localisation Systems
- Software-defined Radio & Network Technologies
- Remote Management, Configuration, and Optimisation of RF Technologies
- Self-driving Autonomous Networks
Remote Sensing, Data Acquisition, Signal Processing and Control Systems
- Ag-Tech Sensors
- Environmental Sensing (Carbon Monitoring)
- Construction
- Operational autonomy
Our team is supported and funded by national competitive grants and our valued industry partners. Our researchers’ expertise ranges from contract/short-term work to long-term blue sky research.