When the network breaks is exactly when radio should see — restoring connectivity and sensing the scene with the same wireless
The National Science Foundation awarded roughly $1.38 million to Princeton University to develop technologies in which wireless carries sensing and positioning alongside communication where disaster has damaged the infrastructure. The aim is to assess damaged environments quickly, restore connectivity, locate people under degraded conditions and give responders real-time situational awareness.
Grant overview (primary data)
- Award amount$1,381,674 / Est. total $4,099,997
- RecipientPrinceton University (New Jersey)
- ProgramTIP-CHIPS KTA-6 Communications
- Period2026-09-01 〜 2029-08-31
- FunderU.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) / NSF
Key points
- Developing integrated sensing and communication so wireless carries sensing and positioning alongside communication where disaster has damaged infrastructure ($1,381,674).
- Aims include rapid assessment of damaged environments, restoring connectivity, localization under degraded conditions and real-time situational awareness for responders.
- The work plan covers autonomous wireless digital twins, synchronization-aware ISAC architectures and multi-static sensing.
- Broad, coarse awareness from wireless is combined with narrow, fine sensing from responder headsets to improve non-line-of-sight sensing.
- The institution is Princeton University; this site also covers another award under the same VINES framework, on a U.S.-Japan open AI radio platform.
1Most needed exactly when most broken
Communication matters most during a disaster, and it is also what breaks most readily. Towers fall, power drops, routes are cut. This project takes that contradiction as its starting point and treats two things through one mechanism: restoring the network quickly, and using the network itself to understand the surroundings.
2Using radio twice over
Radio reflects off objects and returns. Reading those reflections reveals something about what is there. Using the signal already being emitted for communication to sense as well is the idea behind integrated sensing and communication. In a disaster there are neither cameras nor people to spare, so infrastructure already standing that can also see is worth far more than in normal conditions.
3Why pair it with augmented reality
Alongside wireless sensing, the project combines high-resolution local sensing from headsets worn by first responders. Wireless gives broad, coarse awareness; the worn device gives narrow, fine awareness. Where smoke or darkness defeats sight and connectivity is unstable, the two complement each other.
Evaluation proceeds through phased over-the-air demonstrations using open 5G platforms, distributed massive MIMO nodes and edge-assisted AR, culminating in a large-scale end-to-end demonstration for disaster response.
4Another award under the same framework
This award is Track 2 of VINES, and this site also covers another award under the same framework, on building an open AI radio platform jointly with Japan. One looks at infrastructure for both everyday congestion and disaster; the other focuses on the immediate aftermath — the same subject of next-generation wireless approached from different angles.
Of the 70 distinct programs among the NSF awards this site holds as of 2026-09-02, TIP-CHIPS KTA-6 Communications is one. Amounts are the obligated amount as of the check date and may change.
Why it matters
If communication equipment can also sense, fewer separate sensors need distributing during a disaster. Investment made in normal times converts directly into emergency capability, which bears on how investment in shared infrastructure is valued.
FAQ
What is integrated sensing and communication?
Why combine it with augmented reality?
Sources (primary)
Source: NSF Award Search (U.S. National Science Foundation, public domain). Amounts are the obligated amount. For privacy, we do not handle principal investigator names.
- NSF Award (original, official)
- NSF Award ID: 2554552