Today we take for granted the everyday use of wireless communication in the form of mobile phones and remote car keys. There is now a fast growing market for wireless communication in machine-to-machine applications in industry, power stations and hospitals. But existing radio systems are not optimised to deal with the electromagnetic interference encountered in these environments. Not only is the range of existing systems sometimes inadequate but a number of serious incidents have been reported in which interference has been the main cause.

FOI is therefore now developing technical improvements for wireless systems in order to increase their reliability when used in industrial environments where electromagnetic interference may exist. The project “Reliable wireless communication in industrial environments” is coordinated by the Centre for RF-Measurement Technology at the University of Gävle (HiG). Apart from FOI and HiG, the consortium concerned includes such product development companies as Åkerströms, Agilent Technologies and Syntronic AB as well as end users such as SSAB Tunnplåt, Stora Enso Kvarnsveden and Green Cargo.

"Today’s commercial radio systems are, as a rule, not optimised for maximum tolerance of interference for the reason that this detracts from the capacity of the system. Military systems, on the other hand, are often highly resistant to interference, so this is an excellent example of an area in which the results of military research can be usefully applied in other sectors of society," says Peter Stenumgaard, a research director at FOI and project manager at the Centre for RF-Measurement Technology in Gävle.

FOI has long been an international player in the field of electromagnetic compatibility and the effect of interference on modern digital radio systems. Via the new project, FOI’s specialist know-how gained from its military research will benefit industry, the university and colleges while at the same time FOI will gain further knowledge of demanding civil radio applications.

"By the end of the project we will have delivered a prototype solution for a wireless system which is more resistant to interference than today’s systems," says Peter Stenumgaard in conclusion.