D. Chatelain

Design and performance assessment of a prototype wireless controlled robot

The aim of this research was to develop a mobile robot, exploiting the GSM and GPRS technologies in an existing mobile telephony network for remote control and communication purposes. The robot (MGM1) is used as a technology demonstrator in centres and exhibitions with the purpose of making known to the public the importance of services such as SMS, MMS, Bluetooth and Web surfing using a phone browser. The robot is controlled remotely via GPRS using a mobile phone as a command centre. It is able to receive SMS and MMS messages sent to it and then reply back. Also, it takes pictures and sends these out on request as MMS. The work presented in this paper is about the system design and performance assessment, with a discussion of some of the main system sub-units.

WiMax access over GSM/GPRS in rural areas

GPRS access technology is not well-adapted for providing a data service to rural areas where there exist very localized demands for service. Under these circumstances, WiMax could be a better solution for providing access. This paper deals with the way to interface a WiMax network, based on a point to point configuration, to a GSM/GPRS core network, using a PC equipped with a linux kernel modified in order to add a new protocol under IP layer.

Intelligent network planning of cellular networks for Southern Africa

The rapid growth of telecommunication networks worldwide has placed greater demands and challenges on conventional radio planning tools. One way of overcoming some of these demands is to introduce intelligent algorithms that are capable of extracting valuable knowledge from existing data to support the planning process. Various forms of intelligent methods could be utilized for this purpose. An overview of the use of various intelligent algorithms that have been proposed for the purposes of optimizing the radio planning process is provided and considers an appropriate method that could be used for planning networks effectively for the South African context

DOTTA: a dynamic VLIW like microprocessor framework for high speed parallel computing

In this paper, a new microprocessor design framework, called DOTTA (dynamic operation transport triggered array) is introduced. An FPGA (field programmable gate array) implementation of DOTTA is presented. The aim of this new processor framework is to eliminate bottlenecks introduced by traditional microprocessor architectures. The framework defines a task-specific microprocessor that is application customisable on the target system it is operating on; this has been achieved by using Xilinxtrade FPGA fabric