Remotely access and control an advanced Radio Frequency System-on-Chip (RFSoC) platform integrated with millimeter-wave (mmWave) antennas to conduct high-performance over-the-air communication and sensing experiments.
Service description
This service provides researchers with a fully automated, remote-access testing environment hosted at the IMDEA Network facilities. Utilizing a flexible, monostatic architecture driven by AMD and Sivers Semiconductors technologies, the platform allows users to seamlessly deploy agile experimentation workflows, minimizing local setup complexity while ensuring full test reproducibility.
Experimentation Capabilities
The platform is engineered to support a diverse range of indoor communication and spatial sensing scenarios. As a user, you can:
- Configure and evaluate varied operational RF bandwidths and advanced modulation schemes.
- Extract and analyze IQ samples across multiple processing stages, including time-domain, frequency-domain, and post-equalization signals.
- Access real-time channel estimations computed directly within the frequency domain on the FPGA fabric.
- Execute precise beam-sweeping protocols perfectly synchronized with individual OFDM symbols.
- Acquire raw Channel State Information (CSI) data for deep-dive analysis and custom algorithm development.
Technical Specifications & Platform Capabilities
The laboratory provides access to a cutting-edge, hardware-accelerated testbed:
| Component / Parameter | Specification & Capability |
| mmWave Front-End | Sivers Semiconductors 60 GHz transceiver equipped with a 16-element linear phased-antenna array (supports analog beamforming via predefined beam codebooks). |
| Beamforming | Ultrafast beam switching across multiple predefined configurations, enabling directional transmission for spatial sensing and beam sweeping. |
| RFSoC Platform | RFSoC 4×2 device integrating multi-GSPS ADCs/DACs with high-performance FPGA fabric and an embedded processing system. |
| Real-Time Processing | Fully hardware-accelerated PHY processing on the FPGA (waveform generation, synchronization, FFT, and channel estimation) supporting continuous streaming with deterministic latency. |
| RF Bandwidth | Up to 400 MHz instantaneous bandwidth, fully compatible with 5G FR2 numerologies. |
| Subcarrier Spacing (SCS) | 240 kHz, matching standard 5G FR2 requirements. |
| Synchronization | Shared reference clock across mmWave front-ends paired with deterministic Tx–Rx triggering for coherent operation in a monostatic setup. |
| Data Access | Direct access to raw Channel State Information (CSI) for both real-time execution and offline processing workflows. |
How to Request Access (Scheduling & Booking)
To ensure dedicated resources and optimal support for every research campaign, laboratory access follows a coordinated scheduling framework:
- Step 1: Submit an official experiment request detailing your preferred time slots and specific technical requirements.
- Step 2: Your request will be reviewed and coordinated through the SLICES network team (managed by Daniel at Imdea, in direct communication with the laboratory supervisor, Anthony, at IMDEA).
- Step 3: Once approved, you will receive secure remote access credentials with all the essential permissions needed to run your code and extract your data.