Glasgow Caledonian University is leading a research initiative to make 6G networks secure and suitable for health monitoring and other applications.
The project, funded with £200,000 from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) through the 6G Research Partnership Fund, aims to create a secure test environment for 6G technology, which could be used for safe, contact-free health monitoring, such as tracking breathing.
The research’s main goal is to build a 6G system that can securely send data and monitor the environment in real time. This involves developing technology that can gather health data, such as breathing patterns, without physical contact, while keeping it secure. This kind of system could be useful in hospitals or in the home, offering a non-intrusive way to monitor patients.
To achieve this, the researchers are creating a simulated environment for 6G technology using advanced radio technology and security tools. They are using specialised equipment that can mimic real-life situations, along with software that checks for security issues in data transfer. This approach helps the team find and address any weaknesses in data security, ensuring that the 6G system can handle health data safely and smoothly.
Dr Usman Muhammad, who is leading the project and is programme leader in the University’s Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, said: “The research combines both communication and sensing, which are essential for health applications that need fast and accurate information. This means collecting and sending data without delays, which is important for healthcare where timely information is crucial. The team is working on optimising how the system collects and transmits data to ensure it can handle large amounts of sensitive information without slowing down or compromising security.”
Collaboration is also a key part of this project. The team at Glasgow Caledonian is working with experts from the University of Glasgow, Coventry University, and companies such as Virgin Media O2 and InterDigital.
Dr Muhammad added: “One of the main challenges is to balance high security with the fast data transfer needed in real-time applications. It’s particularly difficult to make sure that sensing systems remain secure in complex, real-world situations. Processing large amounts of data safely and adapting the system to different environments are key focuses of the project.
“This technology has potential uses beyond healthcare, but secure patient monitoring is its most immediate application. By allowing continuous, contact-free monitoring of health data, it could improve patient care and privacy, making it ideal for remote health monitoring. The insights from this project could also help develop future secure communication and sensing systems for other areas that require fast and safe data transfer.”
Dr Muhammad will be assisted by co-investigator Professor Hadi Larijani and Dr Abdul Jabbar.