SLIPT-X: Simultaneous Lightwave Information and Power Transfer for Secure Remote Sensing with Drone Activation and Satellite Backhaul
Remote sensor networks face a critical challenge: solar-powered nodes in hard-to-reach locations fail during prolonged cloudiness, creating data gaps in monitoring. SLIPT-X uses Simultaneous Lightwave Information and Power Transfer (SLIPT) to develop a secure, energy-autonomous platform in which nodes harvest solar energy and communicate over LoRaWAN, but when low-light periods force radio silence, drones coordinating via satellite backhaul beyond 4G/5G coverage intervene, delivering optical power and uplink requests through laser beams detected by the same solar cells. Building on prior SLIPT prototypes and low-power sensing research, the project delivers a deployable system with Connexin to strengthen resilient monitoring across the North East.
More about the Project Lead:
Dr. Abderrahmen Trichili joined the School of Engineering, Physics, and Mathematics as an Assistant Professor of Optical Communications in December 2025. His research interests include optical wireless channel sounding, optical physical-layer security, and the design of practical optical wireless communication solutions.
Prior to this appointment, he was s a UK Intelligence Community Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellow in the Optical Wireless Communication Group at the Department of Engineering Science of the University of Oxford.
