The ARA, Agriculture and Rural Communities, Wireless Living Lab of ISU

The Center for Wireless, Communities and Innovation (WiCI), investigates the social-technological challenges and opportunities in rural-focused broadband innovation, the innovation democratization of open-source platforms, and explores rural technological leadership ideas. The research, education, innovation, and community engagement activities of the WiCI Center are supported by the first-of-its-kind wireless living lab, ARA. As a part of the National Science Foundation Platforms for Advanced Wireless Research (PAWR) program, ARA encompasses bleeding-edge technologies and innovation platforms such as those for free-space optical communications, mmWave, massive MIMO, LEO satcom, URLLC, communications and networking softwarization, AR/VR, and precision agriculture. As a living lab, ARA also engages a broad ecosystem of public-private partners in advancing the frontiers of wireless systems, edge/cloud computing, and rural broadband in general.