Publication
Title
Assessing and improving millimeter-wave networking for collaborative extended reality
Author
Abstract
Extended Reality (XR) is finding increasingly widespread acceptance and adoption. Applications range from simple smartphone apps showing what a new piece of furniture would look like in your living room, to immersive simulations training medical personnel. However, the experience is currently far from optimal. To allow for full mobility and extreme quality, content should be generated off-device and then transmitted wirelessly to the users. Ideally, each video frame should be transmitted within milliseconds at effective data rates of gigabits per second, with minimal loss. A prime enabler for this type of collaborative XR is Millimeter-Wave (mmWave) wireless communications. The bands that mmWave offers, between 24 and 300GHz, can theoretically meet these requirements, although this necessitates addressing challenges not present in the more commonly used sub-6 bands. Specifically, signal strength degrades very easily, meaning wireless signals must be carefully "beamformed" towards intended receivers. Furthermore, orchestrating channel access and video frame generation is challenging. In this dissertation, we first assess the performance of existing mmWave hardware, specifically investigating performance during rotational user motion. We conduct this assessment with both consumer-grade off-the-shelf routers and state-of-the-art experimental hardware. Both are based on the IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi protocol. In addition to the hardware evaluations, we analyze the IEEE 802.11 specification itself. Through highly realistic performance models, we derive the maximal performance mmWave Wi-Fi could offer in an XR scenario. We validate these models through simulations and, where possible, hardware experiments. After evaluating the promising-but-lacking performance of current hardware and protocols, we look towards the future. Specifically, we identify a need for effective beamforming approaches within the XR scenario. Current approaches are reactive and are not expected to adapt rapidly enough to rotational user motion. As such, we design, implement and evaluate CoVRage, the first proactive beamforming approach for highly mobile XR devices. By predicting upcoming motion, it forms beams at the XR device that consistently maintain a high gain towards the transmitter during periods of rapid motion. Finally, we combine the different branches of work above. We present an end-to-end system approach for high-fidelity collaborative XR. We perform extensive and highly realistic simulations of the full system, demonstrating that the aforementioned contributions enable consistently high-fidelity collaborative XR, even during rapid and erratic user motion. Overall, we are confident that the work presented in this dissertation brings us one step closer to realizing the goal of hassle-free, truly immersive XR experiences.
Language
English
Publication
Antwerp : University of Antwerp, Faculty of Science, Department of Computer Science , 2024
DOI
10.63028/10067/2079130151162165141
Volume/pages
192 p.
Note
Supervisor: Famaey, Jeroen [Supervisor]
Full text (open access)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Record
Identifier c:irua:207913
Creation 12.09.2024
Last edited 14.09.2024
To cite this reference