Dr. Ifana Mahbub, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at The University of Texas at Dallas, has been honored with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Director’s Fellowship. This prestigious fellowship will support her continued research in developing wireless technology for recharging unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) during flight.
The fellowship, which provides an additional $250,000, is awarded to Young Faculty Award recipients who demonstrate exceptional performance. Dr. Mahbub had previously received a Young Faculty Award in 2021, which granted her $500,000 over two years to support her research endeavors.
Mahbub and her research team are pioneering far-field wireless power transfer technology, also known as power beaming. This cutting-edge innovation aims to transfer electromagnetic waves over long distances, allowing UAVs (drones) and other devices to recharge without the need to land at power stations.
This breakthrough will revolutionize wireless recharging, which currently relies on low-frequency electromagnetic waves for short-distance charging, such as charging a cellphone with a nearby charger.
“Our first goal is to deliver as much power as possible over a longer distance,” said Mahbub, a Texas Instruments Early Career Fellow and director of the Integrated Biomedical, RF Circuits and Systems Lab in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science.
Power beaming over long distances presents the challenge of preventing electromagnetic wave scattering. To address this, Mahbub and her team employ a system of transmitters, specifically phased-array antennas, to direct the electromagnetic waves along a specific path.
“We need to engineer the waveform to minimize path loss,” explains Mahbub, highlighting their goal.
Additionally, the technology incorporates telemetry to accurately track a UAV’s movements in real-time and ensure precise signal directionality.
“We can track the unmanned aerial vehicle and steer the beam to ensure we are constantly powering the dynamic vehicles,” Mahbub said. “That way, a drone going for a mission doesn’t have to return to a bay station for recharging or a battery change.”
Far-field charging for UAVs has the potential to revolutionize various technologies, such as electric vehicles, mobile phones, and wearable devices. Implementing far-field charging for vehicles or phones would require strategically placing transmitters in buildings and other infrastructures. Furthermore, Mahbub is actively involved in creating wireless charging technology for implanted devices, utilizing low-frequency electromagnetic waves at a safe level as stipulated by the Federal Communications Commission.
The project aims to pioneer cutting-edge systems for recording and stimulating neural signals on a chip seamlessly connected wirelessly using low-power and adaptable radio links. Moreover, it will seamlessly integrate a wireless power transfer system to provide sustained power to brain implants in freely moving animals.
The ultimate goal is to meticulously study the behavior and validate the remarkable effectiveness of this system in animal models, specifically in addressing challenging conditions such as chronic neuropathic pain and post-stroke paralysis, as emphasized by researchers.
