Prof. Hari Balakrishnan

Fujitsu Professor in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Director, Center for Wireless Networks and Mobile Computing (Wireless@MIT)

Primary DLC

Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory

MIT Room: 32-G940

Assistant

Sheila Marian
sheila@csail.mit.edu

Areas of Interest and Expertise

Computer Networks (Especially Networks that are Comprised of Heterogeneous Link Technologies)
Mobile Computing and Distributed Computing and Communication Systems
Research Involves Analysis (Experimental and Theoretical), Engineering Design (and Simulation), Prototype Implementation, Deployment, and Experimental Evaluation
Wireless and Mobile Systems
Large-Scale Communication and Distributed Systems
Wireless Networking
Protocol Architectures
Network Applications
Distributed Storage
Bluetooth Scatternets (Blueware)
Transportation Data Networking and Systems
Cybersecurity
Big Data

Research Summary

Professor Balakrishnan's research is in the area of networked computer systems. Over the past few years, his interests have spanned overlay and peer-to-peer networks; Internet architecture, routing, and congestion control; wireless and sensor networks; network security; and distributed data management.

Recent Work

  • Video

    10.15.20-ICT-wireless-communication-Fadel-Adib-Hari-Balakrishnan

    October 15, 2020Conference Video Duration: 107:2

    The evolution of communication technologies over the past 140 years has enabled ubiquitous connectivity with billions of sensors globally. However, today’s technologies still face fundamental obstacles, which prevent them from seamlessly extending to complex domains like the ocean, the human body, or supply chain environments. 
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    When radios communicate with each other, the transmitter spreads its signal in all directions. Hence only a small fraction of what is transmitted hits the receiver. Radios with multiple antennas can beamform, i.e., direct their signal so more of it reaches the receiver. How precisely a radio can beamform depends fundamentally on its size; a larger radio with more antennas can direct its signal better than smaller radios. Unfortunately, practical constraints on mobile and IoT devices prevent us from making radios large.