A sensor array is a configuration of devices, each of which converts energy into an electrical response which can then be represented by a sequence of numbers which are then analyzed using digital signal processing algorithms. Sensor arrays are used in radar, sonar, wireless communications, biomedical imaging, seismology, among many other applications. In fact, if you have a 4G smartphone, you are probably using a multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) sensor array!
Multipath propagation occurs whenever signals can reflect, refract, or diffract along different trajectories between the transmitter and receiver. Multipath is everywhere, from radiowave propagation inside buildings to acoustic waves in the ocean! Historically, multipath was often ignored or treated as a nuisance in designing radar, sonar, or communications systems. Today, we are developing algorithms which explicitly account for and even exploit multipath in order to significantly improve system performance.
An important feature of projects in the SAM Laboratory is that they all involve working with real data, both collected by our collaborators and also obtained from laboratory testbed systems we've built in our lab. Our current projects include: