ECE team among IEEE Vehicular Networking Conference app contest prize winners

A team from The Ohio State University Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering was among winners at the 2016 IEEE Vehicular Networking Conference. 

Masters student Harihara Varma Indukuri and professor Can Emre

Koksal won third prize and $1,000 in a competition to create an app designed to advance innovation in vehicular networking and communication systems. It was the first time the app contest took place during the larger conference and was aimed at novel mobile applications associated with autonomous vehicles, transport vehicles, passenger cars and even two-wheeled vehicles.

The work of the ECE team entitled "Replacing Cables in Cars: Silent Multi Audio and Data Broadcasting Without Wireless RF Transmissions," was chosen among the top winners and related to a project Koksal led for the CAR Membership Consortium. 

The app’s primary purpose is replace the cables connected to low-rate sensors with a wireless acoustic communication system that is secure against external attackers.

“Existing wireless technologies are based on transmission of radio frequency signals, opening up possibilities for a variety of attacks external to the vehicle,” said Koksal. “Our technology uses low-power acoustic signals transmitted over vehicle speakers, making it more secure against external attacks, while reducing the amount of cabling within the vehicle.”

Mobile and wearable technologies are undergoing massive growth and the Internet-of-Things (IoT) is expected to drive network traffic to unprecedented levels. The challenge of interacting with automated and connected vehicles is also creating opportunities for the further development of mobile and wearable technologies.