Vines: track 1: NSF-RCF: smartspaces: novel spatial awareness services to enable new verticals

The National Science Foundation's Office of International Science and Engineering awarded Rice University $160,000 on October 1, 2026, under the Office of International Science and Engineering program (CFDA 47.079) to develop SmartSpaces, an integrated sensing and communications framework that delivers spatial information about indoor environments as a service.

The project develops wireless sensing hardware and algorithms to expand what radio signals can measure, addressing occupancy detection under smoke or low visibility, object orientation estimation using radio tags, non-line-of-sight sensing around corners or through barriers, and material and content inference without opening containers. These capabilities enable robots and humans to perform tasks with limited visibility and incomplete information, supporting next-generation wireless networks that function as intelligent systems providing spatial awareness for decision-making in emergency response, logistics, and immersive reality applications. The work is performed at Rice University's Houston, Texas campus through September 30, 2029.

The project is collaborative, bringing together Rice University and the University of Oulu to combine complementary expertise in wireless networking, sensing, acoustics, and systems. Rice integrates student training in these areas through research, course modules, and laboratory activities. The international partnership supports technology translation, industry engagement, and development of standards for next-generation wireless systems.

Abstract

Location services created a new information layer by connecting digital services with the physical world. This project aims to develop smartspaces to enable on-demand spatial information services about local environments, allowing users to ask network questions such as what is happening at a location of interest. The project addresses challenging wireless sensing tasks such as occupancy detection under smoke or low visibility, object orientation estimation using radio tags, non-line-of-sight sensing around corners or through barriers, and material and content inference without opening boxes. The new capabilities will enable robots and humans to perform tasks with limited visibility and incomplete information. Together, these advances will help next-generation wireless networks evolve from mere communication infrastructure to intelligent systems that provide timely and reliable spatial awareness for decision making. In addition, the collaboration between the united states and finland teams in this project brings complementary expertise and supports technology translation, industry engagement, and future standards for next-generation wireless systems. The project also trains undergraduate and graduate students in wireless networking, sensing, acoustics, security, and systems through research, course modules, and laboratory activities. This collaborative project brings together rice university and the university of oulu to develop smartspaces, an integrated sensing and communications framework that provides spatial information about indoor environments as a service to enable a new class of location-based applications for emergency response, logistics, and immersive reality systems. The project technical foundations are developed via three thrusts. First, IT develops sensing hardware and algorithms that expand what wireless signals can measure, including radio tags for orientation, dual-mode surfaces for around-corner and through-wall sensing, and joint radio and ultrasound methods for material cues. Second, IT develops security and privacy mechanisms to protect against eavesdropping, spoofing, jamming, unauthorized access, and physical tampering. Third, IT develops query processing and resource management methods that translate spatial questions into efficient measurements and coordinate sensing and communication resources across users and devices. The project shares datasets, experimental platforms, software tools, hardware designs, tutorials, and educational materials to support research on smartspaces and integrated sensing and communications. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.- subawards are not planned for this award.