
Communications
Enhancing capability for secure, resilient and reliable low latency communications for robotics and connected autonomous systems.
Effective, efficient and secure communications between robotics and connected autonomous systems (RCAS) are essential for their operation.
RCAS will operate in the most challenging environments, with highly demanding operating conditions, and will often have ultra low-latency end-to-end connectivity requirements. This coupled with the expected massive increase in the number of devices calls for fundamentally new approaches, well beyond the mainstream fifth generation wireless mobile communication developments, including support for the Internet of Things which brings major challenges of scale and power consumption.
The Institute will explore a range of communication technologies, especially focussing on challenging environments where conventional infrastructure is not available. This will include high altitude platform based communications to deliver ultra-low-latency regional connectivity for large-scale networks, to airborne and hard to reach terrestrial nodes, including autonomous vehicles in rural areas, RCAS in geographical not-spots, and RCAS supporting temporary events, or post-disaster recovery.

Projects from the Communications pillar
Research challenges
- Developing novel adaptive and secure communication mechanisms for use in challenging environments for underwater and free-space application.
- Translating theoretical quantum communications to experimentally tested systems.
Research Lead: Professor David Grace
David Grace is Professor and Head of the Communication Technologies research group in the School of Physics, Engineering and Technology at York and Director of York's Centre for High Altitude Platform Applications.
David's current research interests include high altitude platform based communications; cognitive green radio; 5G system architectures; dynamic spectrum access and interference management.
