Challenges and recent advances in IR-UWB system design

Impulse-radio ultra-wideband (IR-UWB) radios are slated to be the next generation of transceivers that can support power-constrained applications such as wireless sensor and body area networks. However, despite inherent advantages of UWB transmission due its large signal bandwidth, adoption of IR-UWB radios is hampered by relatively complex receiver structures. In this overview paper, we will first provide a brief description of the challenges for IR-UWB receiver design. Then, we will discuss two recently presented promising UWB receiver concepts, which are based on compressed sensing and multichannel autocorrelation, respectively, and which are apt to overcome current limitations.