PhD "Use of UWB for Sensing application" M / F

about the role

Global context and research problem

Your role is to carry out a thesis work on the “Use of UWB for Sensing application”. Ultra-Wide Band (UWB), a short- and medium-range radio communication technology, is becoming increasingly popular, especially in mobile devices. It enables the realization of new scenarios for precise distance measurement using radio Time of Flight and primarily opens up the possibility of "sensing," , locating and identifying people, movements, and assets without the need for specific devices to be carried by individuals (such as RFID tags, for example). The objective of the thesis will be to delve into the workings of the radio protocol in order to find a sensing method that can propose new innovative use cases for a telecommunications operator.

The current methods of radio signal processing will initially need to focus on classical analysis of the data provided by UWB radio transceivers (modeling, algorithms, spectral analysis, filtering, etc.). Subsequently, depending on the results, it is not excluded that we may also take advantage of AI methods such as Machine Learning, Deep Learning, neural networks, bio-inspired algorithms, or even TinyML if these new tools are operational and efficient during the thesis and can provide an advantage to our own work.

Scientific objective - results and challenges to overcome

The objective of the thesis is to determine the contributions of UWB used for Sensing in order to develop various applications for personal security, for example. The main challenges and hurdles to overcome are as follows :

• Which characteristics of UWB signals should be used to detect the presence and activities of an individual?
• Evolving this same Sensing method to detect an unequipped person.
• Designing and testing a data collection architecture on the use of the UWB protocol in the LAN, as well as deploying algorithms for sensing inference. This deployment should consider optimizing energy consumption.
• What is the required network density (, the number of UWB devices within the same residential area) to operationally deploy innovative sensing services? The home network will naturally be sparsely populated, and the resident will be unequipped.

Once these various hurdles are overcome, the thesis will aim to demonstrate the applicability of these approaches in different use cases related to sensing.

about you

Scientific and technical skills and personal qualities required for the offer

The candidate should have knowledge and skills primarily in Signal Processing and Wireless Network Protocols. Additional knowledge in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning is suggested. The candidate should demonstrate proficiency in both spoken and written English. They should be able to work in a team and have a strong interest in research and development activities bridging the academic and industrial worlds. The candidate must have a strong interest towards scientific work, including conducting state-of-the-art research, designing, and conducting experiments to validate their contributions, and writing scientific papers for publication in national or international conferences or journals.

Required training (master, engineering diploma, PhD, technical and scientific domain…)

Professional experiences

Documents to provide before the interview

additional information

The expectations of the thesis are both practical and theoretical. It will involve implementing concrete deployments of various UWB devices and algorithms for sensing inference.

The thesis will be supervised in partnership with a team from IRIT in Blagnac, which has extensive expertise in radio communication protocols, including UWB, which will be used during the thesis. Additionally, a technical experimentation platform called LocURA4IoT will be provided by the laboratory for conducting experiments ( This platform can evolve according to the different requirements established during the thesis studies to conduct various experiments.

The Orange premises and the IRIT laboratory are geographically close and based in Blagnac. Qorvo, one of the main UWB equipment suppliers, is also located near Toulouse and will be a partner in the thesis.

The thesis will also determine the complementarity and difference between UWB and Wi-Fi Sensing, as well as the added value that these technologies can bring to customers.

department

Orange Innovation brings together the research and innovation activities and expertise of the Group's entities and countries. We work every day to ensure that Orange is recognized as an innovative operator by its customers, and we create value for the Group and the Brand in each of our projects. With 720 researchers, thousands of marketers, developers, designers and data analysts, it is the expertise of our 6,000 employees that fuels this ambition every day.

Within Innovation, you will be integrated into a cutting-edge research team specializing in future networks (5G+, virtualization, fixed-mobile convergence, mobile edge computing, Named Data networking, etc.). You will be part of a research ecosystem working alongside anticipatory study engineers (shorter term) to implement concrete concepts, benefiting from simulation platforms (4G / 5G)."

The HomeLan Services entity (approximately 160 people), composed of engineers, researchers, doctoral students, and technical experts, ensures research, anticipation, and software development for the Orange Group in all areas related to the connected home, home networks, energy efficiency, device management, and artificial intelligence, with the aim of offering innovative products and services at the forefront of innovation.

contract

Thesis