DARPA gets my point about commercial tech/ad hoc nets

Hot dog! It’s always great to see when an establishment agency gets my message about the need for using commercially-available technology to allow for creation of flexible, ad hoc networks when the gold-plated stuff fails.

In this case, as Network World reports, DARPA has launched Project Wireless Adaptive Network Development (couldn’t find anything about it on DARPA site), which will be built around new software algorithms and $500 walkie-talkie-sized radios that can span 4 independent channels, and “will explit commercial, rather than custom, radio components.” Hmm, where have we heard that approach before?

Let’s hope that the same technology is quickly deployed at home for disaster and terrorism response.

It also embraces peer-to-peer ad hoc networks (ah, music to my ears) “which can shift frequencies, sidestep interference, and handle a range of events that today completely disrupt wireless communications.”

The project is part of the Wireless Network After Next program, which:

seeks to develop and demonstrate technologies and system concepts that will enable intelligent adaptive wireless networks consisting of densely deployed low-cost wireless nodes. The premise of the WNaN program is that significant advantages can be realized by densely deploying low-cost nodes which have been jointly optimized with network operations. WNaN networks should adapt to changing conditions by adjusting the topology of the network and the operational mode of the nodes to reduce the demands on the nodes in particular on the physical and link layers.
“By working around the limitations of the low-cost nodes that form the network, and by utilizing the rich interconnection fabric created by dense deployment, the WNaN network should provide reliable and highly available battlefield communications at a low system cost.

BBN Technologies is the lead contractor for software development and Tyco Electronics is developing the hardware.

Among other advantages, the program would put radios in the hands of average soldiers for the first time. Because they typically cost $15,00, only platoon and company commanders get the current radios.

The project is part of the Wireless Network After Next program, which:

seeks to develop and demonstrate technologies and system concepts that will enable intelligent adaptive wireless networks consisting of densely deployed low cost wireless nodes. The premise of the WNaN program is that significant advantages can be realized by densely deploying low-cost nodes which have been jointly optimized with network operations. WNaN networks should adapt to changing conditions by adjusting the topology of the network and the operational mode of the nodes to reduce the demands on the nodes in particular on the physical and link layers. By working around the limitations of the low-cost nodes that form the network, and by utilizing the rich interconnection fabric created by dense deployment, the WNaN network should provide reliable and highly available battlefield communications at a low system cost.

In the absence of these low-cost devices, soldiers’ families have bought off-the-shelf walkie-talkies from companies like Motorola and mailed them to troops in Iraq. “It’s a lousy way to communicate but it’s better than what they have now.” As I’ve mentioned previously, in the absence of these low-cost devices, soldiers’ familiess have taken a page from my book and sent them off-the-shelf walkie-talkies, which are better than nothing.

Another component in ad-hoc networks that I’ve noted before, disruption-tolerant networks, would also play a role in the new system.

The article notes that “… the software advances are part of an growing R&D effort worldwide to create what are called “cognitive radios” (sometimes called software-defined radios, which are smart enough to understand spectrum, network and user activities, and then select the right radio waveforms, frequencies and protocols for optimal efficiency, performance and reliability.”

The team, IMHO, gets it about my continual harping on the wisdom of capitalizing on the rapid development of commercial wireless communications:

“The goal is to avoid costly custom silicon and components, in order to exploit the economies of scale, and the rapid pace of innovation, in standardized, commercial wireless technology. The entire WAND project is part of a shifting mindset in military procurement to put more emphasis on rapid, cost-effective systems development..”

An initial technology demonstration is scheduled for January 2009, a second in September. They won’t be ready in time to help my son’s (he’s got one of the $15,000 jobs) men before they return from Iraq, but they will help their replacements, and one can only hope DHS will watch the project closely and adapt the radios to domestic use for first responders!

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