This course explores the principles and practice of smart physical places and things (Smart-X). New devices have been added to cities, homes, factories, cars, and even to human (inside and out), hoping that this influx of technology will help us solve pressing societal issues in all facets of life such as energy, personal health, environment, or safety. The challenges, however, remain in designing and scaling the hardware platforms, networking protocols, and sensing algorithms to enable this new class of computing. This course will cover state-of-the-art research papers that address various visions of the future platforms supporting Smart-X. It will also stress the cyber physical aspects of these systems, providing safe, secure, and efficient interaction with the physical world. This course will offer significant hands-on experience through a semester-long project, paper critiques, lab sessions, and overview of the commercial landscapes of the topics covered in class.
This class is open to PhD and Master students as well as advanced undergraduate students. It would be helpful if you have taken a class in computer networks, embedded systems, mobile computing, or IoT. If you are not sure about the pre-requisites, please contact the instructor.
This class will cover the following topics with a focus on Smart-X:
(Schedule is subject to change, check the most updated schedule here)
Week | Date | Day 1 | Date | Day 2 |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
08/22 |
Getting Started |
08/24 |
What Makes "Things" Smart? Intro to embedded systems |
2 |
08/29 |
Everything Smart! Smart phones, homes, & beyond! |
08/31 |
Basics of Signal Processing intro to sensing modalities |
3 |
09/05 |
Lab 1-1 Raspberry Pi Programming |
09/07 |
Lab 1-2 Build a Smart Security Camera |
4 |
09/12 |
Wireless Networks |
09/14 |
Basics of Radios |
WiFi as a Sensor |
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5 |
09/19 |
Lab 2-1 From Smart to Spying Wireless Cameras |
09/21 |
Lab 2-2 Detect Hidden Spying Cameras |
6 |
09/26 |
Wireless Localization |
09/28 |
Wireless Sensing |
7 |
10/03 |
Lab 3-1 Localize Hidden Spying Cameras |
10/05 |
Lab 3-2 Build your Super SpyCam Finder |
8 |
10/10 |
Zero-power Platforms |
10/12 |
Hot Topics in WiFi Sensing |
9 |
10/17 |
Midterm Project Presentation |
10/19 |
Midterm Project Presentation |
Radar Sensing |
||||
10 |
10/24 |
Intro to Radars |
10/26 |
FMCW Radar Sensing |
11 |
10/31 |
Lab 4-1 Radar-based Motion Detection |
11/02 |
Lab 4-2 Keep your distance with radars! |
12 |
11/07 |
Radar Doppler/Phase Processing |
11/09 |
Hot Topics in Radar Sensing |
13 |
11/14 |
Lab 5-1 Radar-based Human Sensing |
11/16 |
Lab 5-2 Talk with a radar! |
14 |
11/21 |
Fall Break |
11/23 |
Fall Break |
15 |
11/28 |
Commercial landscape of Smart Wireless Systems |
11/30 |
Future of Wireless IoT! |
16 |
12/05 |
Final Project Demo |
12/07 |
Final Project Demo |
The required hardware for the labs will be provided to each group, so the students do not need to purchase any hardware. A big thank you to our industry sponsors, Bosch Research and Texas Instrument, for supporting the hardware kits for this class.
The intent of this section is to raise student and instructor awareness of the ongoing threat of bias and racism and of the need to take personal responsibility in creating an inclusive learning environment.
The Grainger College of Engineering is committed to the creation of an anti-racist, inclusive community that welcomes diversity along a number of dimensions, including, but not limited to, race, ethnicity and national origins, gender and gender identity, sexuality, disability status, class, age, or religious beliefs. The College recognizes that we are learning together in the midst of the Black Lives Matter movement, that Black, Hispanic, and Indigenous voices and contributions have largely either been excluded from, or not recognized in, science and engineering, and that both overt racism and micro-aggressions threaten the well-being of our students and our university community.
The effectiveness of this course is dependent upon each of us to create a safe and encouraging learning environment that allows for the open exchange of ideas while also ensuring equitable opportunities and respect for all of us. Everyone is expected to help establish and maintain an environment where students, staff, and faculty can contribute without fear of personal ridicule, or intolerant or offensive language. If you witness or experience racism, discrimination, micro-aggressions, or other offensive behavior, you are encouraged to bring this to the attention of the course director if you feel comfortable. You can also report these behaviors to the Bias Assessment and Response Team (BART) (https://bart.illinois.edu/). Based on your report, BART members will follow up and reach out to students to make sure they have the support they need to be healthy and safe. If the reported behavior also violates university policy, staff in the Office for Student Conflict Resolution may respond as well and will take appropriate action.