To a soldier, losing communication during battle due to equipment failure can be frustrating at best, life-threatening at its ultimate worst.

Robert Qiu, Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering with the Center for Manufacturing Research, wants to make sure his expertise as one of the nation's leading researchers in Ultra-Wideband transmission is used to make sure no American soldier ever again experiences what he knows happens all too frequently. As a Summer Faculty Fellow sponsored by the Office of Naval Research, Qiu spent months on critical research motivated by one story.

"A Marine Corps general told us of a soldier who had lost communication for about 15 minutes and described that wait as 'the darkest time in my whole life,'" Qiu says.

There is an immediate need for network communication that is responsive and expandable, no matter how complex the terrain in battle. Qiu and his colleagues focus on Network Centric Warfare, a philosophy that means networked communications are critically important.

"We want to double the distance the troops currently can communicate," Qiu says. "They should be able to communicate at the brigade level, at least one kilometer, in order to carry out their missions effectively."

Qiu says the work is much more aggressive now than it has been in the last several years, and his is the first proposal set to be transferred to a real military application.

UWB wireless communication is a revolutionary technology for transmitting large amounts of digital data over a wide spectrum of frequency bands using short-pulse, low-powered radio signals. The advantages of UWB technology are many, says Qiu. UWB is more accurate and less expensive than global positioning systems, for example, and it also offers low power consumption, with systems consuming significantly less power than a cell phone. But Qiu emphasized the improved security advantages.

"UWB is the most secure communication on earth so far," he says.

Qiu spent much of his time this summer understanding the business of the Navy, absorbing information about the communications needs particular to warships and submarines. UWB answers the needs of researchers who find that the all-metal structures foil most existing wireless technology.

"Good through-wall penetration capability makes UWB systems suitable for inhospitable indoor environments," Qiu says.

Currently, one of the most dangerous situations for Naval personnel occurs if wiring is damaged in combat and communication is interrupted on board. Even redundant wiring is often rendered useless.

"UWB works well on ships because it is easy to build redundancy and keep troops safer by keeping their communications open," Qiu says.

Qui recently edited a book covering the fundamental aspects of UWB, Ultra-Wideband Wireless Communications and Networks (Wiley & Sons, 2006). He anticipates many commercial applications will stem from the development of military applications. His projects are currently funded by the Office of Navy Research, the National Science Foundation and the Army Research Office.