International Microwave Symposium Preview

April 1, 2016

The 2016 International Microwave Symposium (IMS2016), organized by the IEEE Microwave Theory and Technique Society (MTT-S), is the annual international meeting for technologists involved in all aspects of microwave theory and practice. Held in San Francisco from May 22-27, IMS is part of Microwave Week, which incorporates technical symposia and an exhibition focused on RF, microwave, millimeter-wave, and THz frequencies.

Here’s a preview of some of the keynotes, sessions, and other special events taking place during Microwave Week. To learn more and to register, visit www.ims2016.org .

Keynote Speakers

The handheld cellphone was introduced 42 years ago, but the modern smartphone is less than 10 years old. Dr. Martin Cooper, referred to as the “founder of the cell phone,” maintains that, although the phone contains amazing semiconductor and other technologies, the phone is still in its infancy. Personal wireless connectivity has the potential to revolutionize healthcare and education; the healthcare revolution has already begun. But the biggest contribution of wireless will be in improving the very concept of collaboration.

In his keynote address, “The Birth and Death of the Cell Phone,” Dr. Cooper will point out the irony that the ability to solve the problems associated with these revolutions may well be enhanced by collaborative tools that use wireless technology to improve itself. Dr. Cooper conceived, and led the effort to develop, a personal, portable cellular radio handset. The result was the introduction of the first truly mobile telephone in 1973.

Dr. James Truchard, President, CEO, and Co-Founder of National Instruments, will discuss “Software’s Role in Next-Generation 5G RF and Microwave Systems.” His keynote will explore the vital role of a software-based approach to enable the explosion of wireless communications for high-data-rate voice, data, and video applications, from early prototyping and research, all the way to fully deployed systems.

Some of most compelling application domains of the Internet of Things and Swarm concepts relate to how humans interact with the world around them and the cyberworld beyond. While the proliferation of communication and data processing devices has profoundly altered our interaction patterns, little has been changed in the way we process inputs (sensory) and outputs (actuation). The combination of IoT (Swarms) and wearable devices offers the potential for changing all of this.

Professor Jan M. Rabaey of the University of California Berkeley’s keynote, "The Human Intranet – Where Swarms and Humans Meet," will discuss the Human Intranet, an open, scalable platform that seamlessly integrates an ever-increasing number of sensor, actuation, computation, storage, communication, and energy nodes located on, in, or around the human body acting in symbiosis with the functions provided by the body itself.

Sessions and Workshops

Focus Sessions highlight emerging new technical topics that are gaining importance and may be of significant interest to the microwave community. The sessions encompass a wide range of topics, and may involve a specific emerging technology or cover several technologies relevant to a common application. Some of these areas include RF technologies for smart vehicles and drones; personalized

healthcare through wireless sensing and big data; ultra-low-power CMOS, and energy-scavenging and energy-harvesting designs; new materials, meta-materials, and 3D printing applications for RF/microwave; low-cost, personal satellites and technologies; and next-generation 5G, 100+ GBPS wireless, and Internet of Things (IoT).

Panel Sessions are an hour and 20 minutes long and focus on topics such as software-defined radio, RF MEMS, system-on-a-chip, microwave photonics, and other subjects.

Workshops and short courses include emerging topics such as terahertz technology, carbon-based electronics, green microwave technologies, and flexible/wearable electronics, as well as 5G wireless systems, technologies for low-cost phased arrays, RF technologies and applications for autonomous and distributed vehicles and drones, and the latest developments in test and measurement systems.

The Exhibition

The Exhibition consists of over 600 exhibiting companies who represent the state-of-the-art when it comes to materials, devices, components, and subsystems, as well as design and simulation software and test and measurement equipment. The Exhibition also includes Microwave Application Seminars, or MicroApps – 20-minute technical seminars presented by exhibitors addressing state-of-the-art products, processes, and applications of interest to the microwave community.

Visit www.ims2016.org/exhibition for a full exhibitor list.