Biagio Boi | Publications

Optimization of energy efficiency in SWIPT-based systems

Simultaneous Wireless Information and Power Transfer (SWIPT) is a technology that enables the simultaneous transmission of data and power over the same wireless medium. The idea is to harvest energy from radio frequency (RF) signals while also using those signals for communication. SWIPT is particularly useful in scenarios where powering devices with traditional methods (e.g., batteries) is challenging, such as in remote or hard-to-access areas. In SWIPT systems, a trade-off exists between the amount of power harvested and the quality of data transmission, as extracting more energy can reduce the signal strength available for information transfer. Techniques like power splitting (allocating part of the signal for energy harvesting and the rest for communication) and time switching (alternating between energy harvesting and data reception) are commonly used to balance this trade-off. My research focuses on techniques aimed at improving SWIPT performance. My first research in this topic regards the optimization of base stations (BSs), where results show the importance of both BSs and UEs, thanks to their interference contributions. In a second work I investigated the role of user distribution in a vehicular network, where base stations are distributed along roads following a Poisson Line Cox Process and user devices are modeled using a Poisson Point Process. In the last year I shifted the focus to optimizing the heterogeneous networks, where both mobile and IoT devices co-exist. My investigation in this area are mostly related to load shifting, AoI, and beamforming.

Decentralized Identity Management

In today’s digital age, where personal data has become a commodity traded by corporations and governments alike, the need for a more secure and privacy-preserving identity system has never been more critical. Traditional centralized identity systems pose numerous risks, including data breaches, identity theft, and mass surveillance. However, emerging technologies offer a promising solution: Decentralized IDentity (DID) and Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI). My research in this area is focused on implementing decentralized authentication in traditional systems, but also in IoT systems, where secure authentication is much more complex due to the possible attacks. I'm also evaluating the scalability of these approaches, as well as the security and interoperability through framework such as Credo.ts and KERI.

Smart Contract Vulnerability Assessment

The programmability of blockchain-based platforms offered by smart contracts has allowed the creation of new solutions that have led to the advent of Web 3.0 and decentralized applications. These solutions have enabled the design and implementation of new security services, such as Self Sovereignty Identity, for the decentralization of digital identity management, and asset tokenization, which means digitizing tangible and intangible assets and converting them into tokens, which are then stored on the blockchain. Once an asset is tokenized and stored on the blockchain, it becomes secure, immutable and easy to exchange, completely or partially. Blockchain-based asset tokenization certainly has many advantages; however, it is important to note that tokenization is not without challenges and risks, such as lack of security and regulations. These are aspects that are currently being investigated. My research is majorly focus on analyzing vulnerabilities over multiple blockchains, such as Ethereum, Algorand, Solana, and so on. I'm currently using approaches based on ML, but I'm also interested in smart contract formal verification.