Trustworthy Physical Interfaces
Electromagnetic waves are the foundation for radio communication and for many sensor applications (e.g., radar, spectroscopy) in the Internet of Things. Technical rules and standards must be defined to ensure that all processes run smoothly. These standards, some of which have been in place for decades, define how devices should communicate and work together. They ensure that everything functions properly and that devices from different manufacturers are compatible with each other. Through our research, we identify challenges for trustworthiness. We can influence standardization in a timely manner and raise awareness within the research community accordingly.
The research groups Radio Frequency Design Enablement and Wireless Connectivity and Sensing are collaborating on two topics that are particularly significant for the trustworthiness of future systems:
- Joint Communications and Sensing (JC&S): This technology combines radio communication and radar systems. It uses the same electromagnetic waves both to transmit information and to capture environmental data. It is expected to be deployed in the upcoming 6G mobile communication standard. Our goal is to establish the foundations for the trustworthiness of JC&S.
- Physical Layer Security: Here, the combination of radio communication and sensor technology is deliberately used to enhance the trustworthiness of data transmission. From today's perspective, the resulting methods cannot be "broken" even by future quantum computers.
