The Drexel Wireless Systems Laboratory (DWSL) developed BeamViewer, an app that helps users visualize how an antenna works using augmented reality, in collaboration with the Center for Wireless Communications at the University of Oulu in Finland.
DWSL's antennas use an algorithm that constantly learns and adjusts the shape and direction of the radio transmission to ensure a steady connection. Using cloud networking, the BeamViewer app links with the nodes controlling the antennas. Then, the app uses the phone's camera view to create an augmented reality that overlays the scene with colorful antenna beam graphics showing the current direction of the electromagnetic signal.
The researchers presented a demo of their work at INFOCOM 2016. INFOCOM is a top ranked IEEE conference on networking in the research community. The venue allows researchers to present and exchange significant and innovative contributions and ideas in the field of networking and other related areas.