Near-Ground Precipitation Sensing for Next-generation Wireless Networks

Описание: Title: Near-Ground Precipitation Sensing for Next-generation Wireless Networks

Speaker: Prof. Ashutosh Sabharwal, Ernest D. Butcher Professor, Rice University

Time: 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM (IST)

Date: 16 March 2026

Venue: Online on Zoom

Abstract: Sensing is emerging as a significant potential application for next-generation wireless networks. A key open question is what applications could uniquely benefit from the scale of wireless networks. In this talk, we explore the idea of using country-scale wireless networks for near-ground precipitation sensing, which could complement weather radar-based weather monitoring. We develop a physics-based signal model and propose a suite of methods to convert base stations into near-ground weather radars. Towards the end, we will also highlight other emerging sensing applications.

Bio: Prof. Ashutosh Sabharwal is the Ernest D. Butcher Professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department at Rice University. He works in two independent areas - wireless networks and digital health. His ongoing work in wireless focuses on theory and methods for joint wireless communications & imaging, as well as large-scale experimental platforms. He was one of the inventors of in-band full-duplex communications, a technology used in wireline and wireless standards. He founded the WARP project (warp.rice.edu), an open-source project used by 150+ research groups worldwide. He also led Rice RENEW (renew-wireless.org), which developed an open-source software-defined massive MIMO wireless network platform. Concurrent with his wireless research, he also leads the Rice Digital Health Initiative (dhi.rice.edu) and is the Co-director of a new Methodist-Rice Digital Health Institute. His digital health research focuses on developing devices and applying data science to quantify behavior-biology pathways across many diseases. He received the 2017 IEEE Jack Neubauer Memorial Award, the 2018 IEEE Advances in Communications Award, the 2019, 2021, and 2025 ACM Test-of-time Awards, the 2019 ACM MobiCom Community Contribution Award, the 2023 ICC Best Paper Award, and the 2025 BHI Best Paper Award. His research has led to multiple startups and FDA-approved products. He is a Fellow of IEEE, ACM, and the National Academy of Inventors.
More details: https://ashu.rice.edu


ALL ARE WELCOME.