FROM THE NEST | SUMMER 2025 | 15 From sending text messages to taking video calls, cellular networks and high-speed internet access make communicating on land seamless. But underwater, our ability to communicate decreases dramatically and occurs at much slower speeds. Yahong Rosa Zheng, professor of electrical and computer engineering, is breaking the longstanding barriers of underwater communication with her latest research project, “Acoustic Modems for Real-Time Underwater Wireless Communications.” Developing a Prototype Society has long relied on acoustic signals similar to sonar—a technology that uses strong sound waves to detect objects underwater—to transmit messages underwater. But the sound waves are difficult to decipher and can interfere with marine mammals that use sound to communicate. At Lehigh, Zheng and her team have been conducting research to make underwater acoustic communication more reliable, safer for marine ecosystems and transmitted at a higher and faster data rate. The project is poised to transform the blue economy, or the economics associated with oceans, and can position the U.S. to be a leader in underwater communication. They have created a prototype using high-frequency Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) acoustic communication technology. The prototype utilizes multiple underwater transmitters, which are devices that send out signals, to carry different bits of data simultaneously, increasing the data transmission rate. The signals are high-frequency, which provide more bandwidth, yet they are much weaker than sonar waves, reducing the impact on marine ecosystems. Her team uses turbo equalization to “untangle” and decipher the different bits that mix together when they are received. This involves using the transmitters to transmit a small group of training data, then determining how those signals are tangled by using back-and-forth guesses to decipher all data. Her algorithms have been tested in many ocean experiments with results that are promising for real-world applications, and the algorithms have been granted four U.S. patents, Zheng said. Building a Business Zheng’s innovation can enable image and video transmission directly through water in real time, which could transform industries reliant on underwater operations and communication, such as deep-sea exploration, underwater infrastructure monitoring and even military operations. She is working on bringing her technology to market through her company, Sea-Gal Technologies, which is fueled by federal and private funding. This year, Sea-Gal Technologies received the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Ocean Enterprise Accelerator Award, and also received an award from America’s Seed Fund powered by the National Science Foundation (NSF). In the future, Zheng aspires to develop underwater WiFi base stations that would make connecting to the internet through underwater platforms ubiquitous. Zheng said a particular question inspired her to take a chance and start her own company based on her research. “When I leave my professional life, what can I tell people I accomplished? I can publish 100 papers, but I don’t have a real thing made,” Zheng said. “So that’s my motivation. The motivation is not just to make money—it is trying to really produce something that’s meaningful.”—Lauren Thein Professor Yahong Rosa Zheng holds the prototype she created with her research team using high-frequency MultipleInput Multiple-Output (MIMO) acoustic communication technology. “THE MOTIVATION IS NOT JUST TO MAKE MONEY—IT IS TRYING TO REALLY PRODUCE SOMETHING THAT’S MEANINGFUL.” — Yahong Rosa Zheng, professor of electrical and computer engineering RESEARCH Making Waves in Underwater Communications Professor Yahong Rosa Zheng is transforming underwater communications with her latest research project and company, Sea-Gal Technologies. CHRISTA NEU
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