The Wireless Innovation Forum invites entries for the Software-Defined Radio Design Challenge

Jan. 24, 2013 - PRLog -- WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Wireless Innovation Forum (http://www.WirelessInnovation.org), today announced an invitation for entries for the Software-Defined Radio Design Challenge, a student design contest. An activity of the Forum's Educational Special Interest Group, the contest is hosted by Virginia Tech. The competition will take place on May 29-31, 2013 at the Wireless@Virginia Tech Symposium on Wireless Communications, Blacksburg, VA, USA. Proposals are due February 8, 2013.

Undergraduate and graduate students or teams of students, advised by a faculty member, are eligible and may propose and solve any problem related to SDR/CR/DSA. Senior capstone or graduate thesis projects, class projects, sponsored projects, and independent projects are all eligible and may have already begun before the proposal due date. At minimum each entry should include an implementation of a software-defined radio (SDR) link or receiver that can be demonstrated using available signals or using an experimental frequency allocation. The specific application and implementation are to be determined by the entrants. While a significant amount of original work is expected, use of available SDR hardware and software is encouraged. Details of the spectrum allocation will be provided as they become available. Teams may use any frequency if a cable connection is used. If over-the-air operation is desired, teams should contact the organizers as soon as possible so that an application can be filed for a special temporary authorization to operate on the desired frequencies. Final reports will be posted on the Wireless Innovation Forum’s web site.

Projects will be evaluated by wireless communications industry professionals. Projects by teams composed entirely of undergraduate students will be evaluated using the same criteria as other projects but will compete in a separate category. The size of each team will be taken into account in the evaluation. Evaluation criteria include:

·         importance and timeliness of the problem addressed,

·         performance of solution (e.g., minimum detectable signal/minimum SNR of receiver, demonstrated throughput and spectral efficiency of digital link)

·         flexibility (e.g., multiband and/or multi-mode capability)

·         degree of automation/adaptive capability

·         ease of use/user interface

·         size, weight, and power

·         cost effectiveness

To obtain access to the Challenge entry form and learn more, visit the contest web page: http://groups.winnforum.org/p/wi/et/wid=24.

The contest will be held during Wireless@Virginia Tech’s annual symposium and summer school. Team members will be required to register for the symposium. We are seeking sponsorship to provide registration fee waivers and travel funds on a competitive basis. If your organization is interested in supporting the contest, please email Dr. Carl Dietrich at cdietric@vt.edu. For additional symposium information, please check the symposium’s web page: http://wireless.vt.edu/symposium/2013/.