Reimagining Wireless Communication and Sensing With Laser Light

Charlie Carver (PhD ‘24) received an Honorable Mention from the ACM SIGMOBILE Dissertation Award 2025 for research that introduced new laser-based communication and sensing systems for aquatic, terrestrial, and aerial environments.

Carver’s work redefines the role of laser-based technologies in mobile and networked environments through a series of innovative systems. Throughout his doctoral studies, he led the development of several key projects, beginning with AmphiLight, which demonstrated direct laser communication across the air-water boundary. This foundational work expanded into subsequent systems such as Sunflower, Lasertag, and Phaser, each extending the capabilities of laser light into new application spaces. Beyond technical innovation, the thesis highlights a thoughtful progression of research that integrates physics, engineering, and system design. 

We spoke with him about the inspiration, process, and challenges that shaped his research. From laser testbeds on kitchen tables during COVID to multi-year collaborations, his reflections offer a deeper look into how this remarkable thesis came together—and what’s next.

Q: What makes your dissertation unique within the field of mobile and ubiquitous systems?

My thesis leverages the versatility of laser light to create micro- and macro-scale exploration and monitoring systems for aquatic, terrestrial, and aerial environments. Fundamentally, each work uses laser light in an unconventional or overlooked way and attempts to challenge the status quo of wireless communication and sensing.

Q: Your thesis spans several distinct projects. How did you approach the progression of these works—was there an overarching research strategy, or did one idea naturally lead to the next?

At the start of my PhD, our lab was working with the Dartmouth Robotics Lab to investigate underwater applications of light. This collaboration aligned nicely with my first project, AmphiLight, which demonstrated that direct, wireless communication through the air-water interface was possible using laser light. We continued this line of underwater research with Sunflower, which used laser light to enable bidirectional communication and sensing between flying drones and moving underwater robots. At this point, we realized many of the systems I was designing for underwater applications would work nicely on land (such as for high-speed, wireless VR), so we published Lasertag to support high-mobility, short-range laser applications in the air. The final thread we were curious about was beaming power to mobile targets via laser light, and we eventually demonstrated combined sensing, communication, and power delivery for battery-free robots in Phaser. In parallel with all of these works, I was also designing a method of passive laser polarization sensing over optical fiber with Google, and wrapped up the 3-year collaboration to include the work in my thesis.

Q: What initially drew you to work with laser-based systems, and how did your background influence the direction of your research?

When I began my PhD, my advisor wanted to expand her visible light communication/sensing research to include laser light. Since my undergraduate degree was in Physics, this line of work sounded really cool to me. Through a combination of planning and a good amount of luck, we repeatedly demonstrated that laser light could be robustly used in mobile scenarios for wireless communication, sensing, and power delivery.

Q: Each system you developed required specialized knowledge and tools. What skills or learning curves did you encounter as you moved from project to project?

Each project took about a year to two years to complete, usually starting in parallel with finishing the previous one. Some projects, like Sunflower, were prolonged by COVID due to the difficulty of system building from home—I used to keep an oscilloscope, laser testbed, and fish tank on my kitchen table for experiments! At the beginning of my PhD, I relied on some very helpful senior labmates to guide me through major system-building concepts, such as circuits, soldering, and optics. After publishing my first paper, I would iteratively gain new skills by solving problems with the earlier systems and improving on them for the latest work.

Q: In your view, what was the most rewarding or surprising aspect of conducting this research?

Research is a fun mix of asking (and answering, hopefully!) interesting questions, and then sharing what you find with others. I particularly like studying light because of how ubiquitous it is, which makes new applications all the more exciting. I also enjoy research projects when they involve things I can physically build and hold in my hands. And finally, I think it’s fun to write about new findings and to tell a story around the results and future implications.

Q: Now that you’ve completed your PhD, what are you doing?

I work at MIT, where I research space-related systems at their Lincoln Laboratory. For the most up-to-date information on my work, feel free to check out my website: https://www.mit.edu/~carver/. And for anyone looking to get in touch or discuss future collaborations, please email me directly at: carver@mit.edu.