Monthly Archives: July 2017

Aquatic robots are busier than ever. They have seabeds to mine, cable pathways to plough, and marine data to gather. But they and their aquatic brethrenincluding submarines and scuba diversstill struggle to communicate.

For decades, global standards defining Wi-Fi and cellular networks have allowed people to exchange data over the air. But those technologies are worthless below the waves, and no such standards have existed for underwater communications.

Aquatic systems have instead used a mishmash of acoustic and optical signals to send and receive messages. However, manufacturers sell acoustic modems that operate at many different frequencies, which means those systems often cant speak to each other.

We live in a time of wild west communications underwater, says Joo Alves, a principal scientist for NATO.

Now, Alves and other NATO researchers have established the first international standard for underwater communications. Named JANUS, after the Roman god of gateways, it creates a common protocol for an acoustic signal with which underwater systems can connect.

Acoustics has long been a popular medium for underwater communications. Generally, optical signals can deliver high data rates underwater at distances up to 100 meters, while sound waves cover much greater distances at lower data rates.

The main role of JANUS is to bring todays acoustic systems into sync with one another. It does this in part by defining a common frequency11.5 kilohertzover which all systems can announce their presence. Once two systems make contact through JANUS, they may decide to switch to a different frequency or protocol that could deliver higher data rates or travel further.

In this way, Alves compares JANUS to the English languagetwo visitors to a foreign country may speak English to one another before realizing they are both native Spanish speakers, and switch to their native tongue.

Chiara Petrioli, a specialist in underwater sensors and embedded systems at La Sapienza, the University of Rome, says JANUS could be the first step toward an Internet of Underwater Things"a submerged digital network of sensors and vessels.

In addition to designating a frequency, JANUS also provides a modulation encoding scheme to describe how data should be encoded onto a sound wave, and describes the particular waveform that should be used (known as FH-BFSK). It also spells out which redundancies should be added to the data stream to minimize transmission errors.

In order to use JANUS, a system would first emit three optional tones to indicate that it intends to broadcast a JANUS data packet hitched to a sound wave. Then, the system would pause for about 400 milliseconds to allow other devices in its vicinity to wake up. Next, the system would broadcast a fixed series of tones to ensure both systems were properly synchronized to the JANUS protocol. Finally, the system would send the JANUS packet, consisting of 56 bits followed by a redundancy check, which tests for transmission errors.

The JANUS standard was developed by Alves team at NATOs Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation in La Spezia, Italy and sponsored by NATOs Allied Command Transformation. It is the first underwater communications standard to be defined by an international body.

Milica Stojanovic, an expert in oceanic engineering at Northeastern University, expects other standards will soon follow. She says the 11.5 kHz frequency used by JANUS is great for transmitting data between 1 and 10 kilometers, but a lower frequency, perhaps 1 kHz, would be better for sending data over longer distances of 10 to 100 km.

Even with JANUS and other standards, any future underwater Internet will probably be cursed by far lower data rates than modern Wi-Fi or cellular networks. Sound travels at much lower frequencies, and on much longer waves, than the signals used for consumer electronics. Though sound waves travel faster in water than on land, they still travel more slowly through water than radio waves through air.

To develop JANUS, Alves team relied on the Littoral Ocean Observatory Network, a collection of tripods that NATO researchers have placed on the seafloor in the harbour of La Spezia, Italy. Each tripod emits acoustic signals to other tripods, which send performance reports to researchers through undersea cables. Those reports helped the team understand how fluctuations in water temperature, and other environmental changes, will affect JANUS signals.

The tripods also allowed researchers to build a JANUS receiver, advanced versions of which could minimize decoding errors and account for the Doppler effect. The Doppler effect describes shifts in sound waves caused by motion, such as the whirl of an ambulance siren as it drives by.

In another series of tests, researchers aboard the research vessel Alliance, a NATO ship operated by the Italian Navy, measured the performance of JANUS signals along the surface of the ocean.

Once deployed, aquatic systems could use JANUS to send data directly to each other, or to gateway buoys bobbing on the waters surface. The buoys could then use radio waves to relay that data to nearby control centers.

In one demonstration, Alves group helped the Portuguese Navy set up a buoy that converted data about the positions and speeds of nearby ships to JANUS. The buoy rebroadcast this information to Portuguese submarines lurking below.

Based on their work, Alves says submarines could also use JANUS to issue calls for help to ships and rescue crews. Using an open scheme like JANUS to issue distress calls would increase incredibly the chances of those being picked up, he says.

Now that JANUS is available, manufacturers of aquatic systems must decide whether or not to adopt it. Alves is confident they will, and Petrioli, who contributed feedback to the development of JANUS, agrees that adoption is essential to the industrys future.

But Stojanovic is not so sure. If there starts to develop a serious market, then everybody will have to play to the same tune, she says. If not, and everybody finds their own niche market with their own protocols, then they will do that.

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The new JANUS acoustic signal will connect aquatic robots and sensors into an Internet of Underwater Things 8Jul

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A prototype from the University of Washington leverages a backscattered radiofrequency wave to transmit analog signals 7Jul

As fictional geniuses in HBO's "Silicon Valley" seek to reinvent the Internet, Mozilla and the NSF offer $2 million in prizes to decentralize it in the real world 30Jun

Intel says its new Olympics sponsorship is about changing the experience for the digital generation 21Jun

With massive MIMO, future 5G networks will be able to cram more data onto the same amount of spectrum 17Jun

Instant photo sharing celebrates its 20th birthday today, proving that building a prototype when your wife is in labor is sometimes a good idea 11Jun

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Afghan Wireless has overcome many challenges in its efforts to bring wireless service to the country 1Jun

Startup Phazr has emerged from stealth mode and quickly become a darling of the wireless industry 23May

High-frequency millimeter waves will greatly increase wireless capacity and speeds for future 5G networks 6May

Proponents say the new LTE-based technology will be deployed like Wi-Fi in factories, hotels, and airports 1May

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University of Michigan researchers spoof an accelerometer by hitting the right note 17Mar

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Dont expect early 5G service in South Korea to reflect what carriers elsewhere have described 8Mar

The company knows it needs to ditch the dongle, and believes Li-Fi-enabled chipsets will be here soon 1Mar

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NATO Unveils JANUS, First Standardized Acoustic Protocol for Undersea Systems - IEEE Spectrum

Ukraine is keen to start its Nato application process despite Russias ongoing aggression in the east of the country.

Today it has been emphasised that we should start a discussion about establishing a membership action plan [MAP] and our proposals were accepted with understanding, Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko told press after meeting Nato head Jens Stoltenberg in Kiev on Monday (10 July).

We have a clear-cut time table as to what we have to do by the year 2020 in order to meet the membership criteria, he added.

He said recent polls showed more than 60 percent of Ukrainians wanted to join the Western alliance.

Stoltenberg said Russia would not be able to stop Ukraines membership.

Whether Ukraine is going to become a member of Nato or not is for the allies and Ukraine to decide, no one else has the right to try to veto such a process, he said.

Ukraine is moving steadily towards meeting Nato standards, he added.

He noted that 40 million of Nato money was helping Ukraine to buy high-end satellite surveillance and cyber-defence equipment.

A Nato office in Kiev is also advising Ukraine on military and intelligence reforms.

Piers Cazalet, a Nato spokesman, said in Kiev on Tuesday that Stoltenberg took note of Poroshenkos MAP request.

He said the current priority was the modernisation of its defence and security institutions, however.

A Nato MAP, in which aspirant states submit annual reports on military and political assimilation, is the first step toward accession.

It does not guarantee future membership and it has no set duration, but in the latest case - Montenegro - the Balkan state began its MAP in 2009 and joined Nato this year.

Stoltenberg also said in Kiev that: Russia must withdraw its thousands of soldiers from [east] Ukraine and stop supporting the militants [there], with command and control, and military equipment.

He added that it is extremely important to maintain the sanctions as long as Russia doesnt change its behaviour in eastern Ukraine and Crimea, referring to EU and US economic sanctions.

Poroshenko called for the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian soil, withdrawal of Russian artillery, tank, and multi-rocket launch systems back to Russia.

The Kremlin responded the same day by saying Ukraines Nato membership would not help strengthen stability and security in Europe.

Dmitry Peskov, its spokesman, added: Russia has never had and has no servicemen in Ukraine.

There is a wealth of photographic evidence and eyewitness testimony to the contrary, however.

There are also high-level statements that contradict the official line.

Sergei Larvov, the Russian foreign minister, told a seminar in Moscow on 30 June: I have read and heard much criticism that we should not have got involved into the conflicts in Donbass [a region in east Ukraine].

Russian president Vladimir Putin said on TV in June 2015: We never said there were not people there [east Ukraine] who carried out certain tasks including in the military sphere.

The Ukrainian parliament said in June by 276 out of 450 votes that Ukraine should join Nato.

A poll in June by the Democratic Initiatives Foundation, a Ukrainian NGO, showed that 69 percent of people wanted to join the Western military bloc.

The surge in Nato support came after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014. The invasion followed an anti-corruption revolution in Kiev that ousted its pro-Kremlin regime.

Poroshenko will meet top EU officials in Kiev on Wednesday.

The summit will discuss progress on an EU-Ukraine political and trade pact which enters into force in September.

US secretary of state Rex Tillerson also visited Kiev on Sunday.

He said it is necessary for Russia to take the first steps to de-escalate the situation in the eastern part of Ukraine before the US would consider relaxing sanctions.

The EU recently extended its economic sanctions until January next year.

The US senate voted to expand sanctions, including against Western investors in Russian gas projects such as Nord Stream 2, a pipeline to Germany.

We see an open sabotage of infrastructure projects that are economically well founded and attractive for consumers, like for instance Nord Stream 2, Russian energy minister Aleksandr Novak said at a congress in Istanbul on Monday.

Read more:
Ukraine keen to begin Nato entry process - EUobserver

WASHINGTON (AP) How's that "blazing" economy?

At home and abroad over the past week, President Donald Trump described an America where everyone's getting rich off the stock market, money has started gushing into NATO and practically everything's on the upswing since he took office. On Russian meddling in the U.S. election, he expressed an enduring uncertainty that his U.N. ambassador convinced of Moscow mischief doesn't share.

A look at some of his statements:

TRUMP, on whether Russia interfered in the 2016 U.S. elections: "Nobody really knows." He added: "So, it was Russia, and I think it was probably others also." news conference in Poland on Thursday.

NIKKI HALEY, U.S. ambassador to the U.N.: "Everybody knows that Russia meddled in our elections." on CNN's "State of the Union."

THE FACTS: The weight of evidence supports Haley's certainty more than her boss' equivocation. Multiple U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia meddled in the campaign, and for the purpose of giving Trump an advantage over Democrat Hillary Clinton. The full scope of the interference has not been established, nor whether Russian officials colluded with Trump associates in the campaign.

White House officials said Trump confronted Putin about the interference in their private meeting Friday. Kremlin officials had a different account, saying Trump appeared accepting of Putin's denials that Moscow did anything untoward to shape the election.

In Poland, Trump argued alternately that it could have been Russia, probably was Russia and indeed was Russia, while insisting it could have been other countries, too, and adding, "I won't be specific."

President Donald Trump, with first lady Melania Trump, speaks from the Truman Balcony at the Fourth of July picnic for military families on the South Lawn of the White House, Tuesday, July 4, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

TRUMP: "No matter where you look, the economy is blazing. And on every front we're doing well. And we do have challenges, but we will handle those challenges believe me." remarks at Fourth of July event at White House.

TRUMP: "Really great numbers on jobs & the economy! Things are starting to kick in now, and we have just begun! Don't like steel & aluminum dumping!" tweet July 3.

THE FACTS: The economy is not blazing. At best, it's at a controlled burn.

The performance under Trump has been remarkably close to the relatively tepid growth under President Barack Obama, a record Trump criticized as a candidate. Most economists agree that any president is unlikely to suddenly transform an economy in a matter of months.

The economy grew at a sluggish annual pace of 1.4 percent during the first three months of the year. Growth can be uneven on a quarterly basis. But Federal Reserve officials estimate the economy will grow 2.2 percent this year, 2.1 percent in 2018 and 1.9 percent in 2019. That is pretty close to growth of roughly 2 percent during the recovery under Obama.

Trump can celebrate a 4.4 percent unemployment rate, but that builds on progress made during Obama's tenure. The lower unemployment rate has also translated into smaller job gains under Trump.

Monthly job growth has averaged 180,000 during the first six months of 2017, compared with an average of more than 186,000 last year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

TRUMP: "Dow hit a new intraday all-time high! I wonder whether or not the Fake News Media will so report?" tweet July 3.

THE FACTS: Peaks and valleys during the day generally don't make for screaming headlines. Investors generally pay more attention to where stock market indexes stand when trading ends at 4 p.m. Because those markets have been setting records for months, Monday's intraday peak wasn't that notable, though the financial media reported on it. The stock market has been rising under Trump's watch, as it rose under Obama's since 2013.

U.S. President Donald Trump, left, meets with Poland's President Andrzej Duda after arriving at the Royal Castle, Thursday, July 6, 2017, in Warsaw. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

TRUMP: "When I say that the stock market is at an all-time high, we've picked up in market value almost $4 trillion since Nov. 8, which was the election. Four trillion dollars it's a lot of money. Personally, I picked up nothing, but that's all right. Everyone else is getting rich. That's OK. I'm very happy. " Energy meeting with European leaders in Warsaw on Thursday.

THE FACTS: Everyone else is not getting rich. Most Americans lack meaningful stock market investments. Research by New York University economist Edward Wolff found that just 10 percent of the U.S. population owns 80 percent of stock market wealth.

Also, it's likely the rising stock market has indeed benefited him personally. Financial disclosures show the president has multiple brokerage accounts and extensive stock holdings. He owns shares in Apple Inc. (up 24 percent year-to-date), Caterpillar Inc. (up 15 percent) and Microsoft Corp. (up nearly 12 percent) among other companies. Even if Trump didn't buy into the recent stock market gains, his existing shares probably received a boost.

TRUMP, on NATO's core pledge: "To those who would criticize our tough stance, I would point out that the United States has demonstrated not merely with words but with its actions that we stand firmly behind Article 5, the mutual defense commitment." speech in Warsaw on Thursday.

THE FACTS: Rather than showing a commitment with his actions, Trump has sown confusion with his words. Article 5 has only been used once by other NATO members, to come to the defense of the U.S. after the 2001 attacks on American soil.

Trump suggested during the campaign that NATO members lagging on their own military spending might not be able to count on the U.S. to come to their aid if attacked. And he pointedly did not endorse Article 5 at a NATO meeting in May, unnerving some allies. In June, though, he said: "I'm committing the United States to Article 5." Those words won't be tested with action until or unless a NATO member is attacked.

President Donald Trump announces the approval of a permit to build the Keystone XL pipeline, clearing the way for the $8 billion project, Friday, March 24, 2017 in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Friday, March 24, 2017. From left are, TransCanada CEO Russell K. Girling, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and Energy Secretary Rick Perry. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

TRUMP: "We just approved a big pipeline also the Keystone Pipeline. It was under consideration for many, many years, and it was dead, and I approved it in my first day of office." Warsaw energy meeting.

THE FACTS: He did not approve it on his first day in office. During his first week, on Jan. 24, Trump signed an order asking TransCanada to re-submit its application to build Keystone XL, which had been blocked by Obama. Trump suggested at the time that more negotiations would be required with TransCanada before he would approve the project. The project actually got the go-ahead in late March.

TRUMP: "Americans know that a strong alliance of free, sovereign and independent nations is the best defense for our freedoms and for our interests. That is why my administration has demanded that all members of NATO finally meet their full and fair financial obligation. As a result of this insistence, billions of dollars more have begun to pour into NATO. In fact, people are shocked. But billions and billions of dollars more coming in from countries that, in my opinion, would not have been paying so quickly." Warsaw speech.

THE FACTS: The notion of money pouring into NATO because of his tough talk is one of Trump's most frequent fictions. The actual issue is how much NATO countries spend on their own military budgets. They agreed in 2014, well before he became president, to stop cutting military spending, and have honored that. They also agreed then to a goal of moving "toward" spending 2 percent of their gross domestic product on their own defense by 2024. Most are short of that and the target is not ironclad. His tough talk is aimed at nudging them toward that goal.

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Fact check: Trump on the 'blazing' economy, Russia, NATO - Arizona Daily Star