In the rapidly evolving wireless landscape, flexibility, experimentation, and speed of innovation have become as vital as radio performance itself. Software-defined radios (SDRs) now form the backbone of modern wireless research and prototyping bridging the gap between concept and real-world deployment across academia, defense, and next-generation communication systems.
In this exclusive interaction, Niloy Banerjee, Group Editor, The Volt Post, speaks with Priyachandar P, Regional Growth Head, NI India, Emerson, to explore how SDR technology particularly Emerson’s NI USRP portfolio is empowering engineers, researchers, and innovators to push the boundaries of 5G, 6G, and AI-driven wireless systems. Read the edited Volt-Full excerpts below as Priyachandar pushes the new limits and talks about architectural advantages, open development ecosystems, and real-world applications that are shaping the future of intelligent wireless communication.
Why are software-defined radios becoming foundational to modern wireless systems, and how do they differ from traditional hardware-based radios?
Software-defined radio (SDR) refers to a modern approach to radio communication where tasks that were once handled by dedicated hardware are instead managed through software. In traditional radios, functions like tuning, filtering, and signal processing are built into physical components, which limits how easily the system can be adapted or upgraded.
With SDR, these functions are controlled by software running on a computer or embedded processor. This means the same radio hardware can be reconfigured to support different frequencies, standards, or communication protocols simply by changing the software, rather than redesigning the equipment.
The advantage of this approach is flexibility. Engineers and researchers can experiment, test new wireless technologies, and respond to evolving communication needs much faster than with hardware-only systems.
As wireless standards continue to change and grow more complex, software- defined radio allows radio systems to evolve alongside them, making it a foundational technology for modern and future communication systems.
In a crowded SDR ecosystem ranging from low-cost hobby platforms to custom RF systems, where do NI USRPs fit—and what problem do they uniquely solve for engineers?
Emerson’s NI USRP (Universal Software Radio Peripheral) devices are designed to bridge the gap between entry-level software-defined radios and highly specialized, custom-built radio systems. While hobby-grade SDRs are affordable but limited, and custom RF platforms offer high performance at the cost of time and complexity, NI USRPs combine strong radio performance with flexibility and ease of use.
One of their key strengths is an open development environment. This means engineers are not locked into a single way of working.
NI USRPs can run on common operating systems such as Linux, Windows, and macOS, and they support widely used tools like NI LabVIEW and MATLAB/Simulink, as well as open-source platforms such as GNU Radio and RFNoC.
As a result, users can work in the environment they are already comfortable with, whether they are students learning the basics or researchers building advanced systems.
The NI USRP product range is also broad. At one end are cost-effective models suited for classrooms and early experimentation.
At the other are high-end systems capable of handling wide bandwidths, multiple synchronized channels, and precise timing features required for advanced applications such as 5G and 6G wireless research, massive MIMO systems, radar development, and aerospace and defense prototyping.
What technical and architectural advantages should engineers look for when selecting an SDR platform for advanced wireless research and deployment?
Software-defined radios are designed to sit between two extremes: low- cost hobby radios on one end, and very high-end, measurement-grade RF instruments on the other.
While hobby SDRs are affordable but limited, and high-end instruments deliver top performance with high cost and complexity, NI offers a portfolio of SDRs with different price points and features.
Having multiple different models of USRPs NI is able to strike a balance of radio performance with flexibility and scalability that serve a variety of applications and price points.
One key advantage of SDR technology is their wide instantaneous bandwidth, which allows them to capture and transmit large amounts of signal data at once.
Combined with scalable channel counts, this makes them suitable for applications that require multiple synchronized antennas or high data throughput, such as advanced wireless research and spectrum analysis.
Emerson’s NI SDRs are available in different configurations optimized for specific needs. Some models focus on precise phase synchronization, which is essential for multi-antenna systems like massive MIMO.
Others are built for high- bandwidth experimentation, while ruggedized versions are designed for field deployment, such as drone-based measurements or real-world spectrum monitoring. This range allows users to choose a platform that fits their exact use case rather than adapting their work to the limitations of the hardware.
Importantly, all these platforms share a consistent software driver, UHD. This means users can move from lab prototyping to over-the-air testing and even deployed systems without having to relearn tools or rewrite their entire signal- processing design. The result is faster development, easier scaling, and a smoother transition from experimentation to real-world use.
As wireless systems push toward wider bandwidths, higher frequencies, and multi-antenna architectures, how do SDRs help engineers manage rising complexity without sacrificing performance?
Software Defined Radios help ensure performance and design goals are met by providing a flexible and adaptable platform for prototyping new wireless technologies in the lab and evaluating systems in real-world environments.
As demand pushes hardware toward wider bandwidths, higher frequencies, and more channels, SDRs offer the software-driven flexibility needed to shorten development cycles and address the rising complexity in wireless design.
What role do open platforms and developer ecosystems play in advancing SDR innovation—particularly for 5G, 6G, and AI-native wireless systems??
Emerson has identified the developer community as a core driver of future wireless innovation. Unlike closed SDR solutions that lock users into a single proprietary environment, USRPs are supported by a mature open-source ecosystem where developers can build, share, and reuse algorithms and complete protocol stacks.
This openness has catalyzed the creation of multiple over-the-air 5G/6G research toolchains and workflows. At the same time, it has enabled the design of AI models for real-world RF tasks—such as channel estimation, interference classification, beam selection, anomaly detection, and spectrum intelligence, using live data captured through USRPs.
By providing a platform where software, research, and hardware intersect seamlessly, Emerson supports faster innovation cycles and community-driven advancements.
How are universities and research institutions shaping the future of SDR and AI- driven wireless, and how can industry platforms accelerate this transition from theory to real-world systems?
Academic and research institutions are significant SDR users, driving innovation in the fields of AI-driven communications and next-gen wireless systems.
Recognizing this interest and technical capability, NI continues to invest in maintaining and improving USRP interoperability with MATLAB, a widely used platform across global engineering and research programs.
With tight integration into MATLAB and the Communications Toolbox, researchers can design, simulate, and test waveforms and link-level or system-level ideas directly on USRP hardware.
This familiarity has made it easier to develop and deploy deep-learning-based projects across areas like modulation recognition, spectrum sensing, and network traffic prediction, using real RF signals acquired from USRPs and replaying AI-optimized signalling schemes over the air.
Across industries like aerospace, defense, and telecommunications, how are engineers and scientists using SDR platforms to prototype and validate next- generation wireless systems??
Engineers and scientists use USRPs primarily as rapid-prototyping tools for wireless systems. Instead of designing custom radio hardware from the start, teams use USRPs to quickly build, test, and refine new wireless ideas in software and on programmable hardware.
This makes it possible to experiment, learn from real signals, and improve designs before investing time and cost into final hardware.
A major reason USRPs are effective for this is their flexible RF front end and programmable FPGA and software. In practical terms, this means engineers can adjust how signals are transmitted, received, and processed in near real time. If something doesn’t work as expected, they can change the design and test again, much faster than with fixed hardware.
In aerospace and defense, USRPs are often used to prototype communication links, radar systems, electronic warfare waveforms, and custom telemetry. In universities and research labs, USRPs are widely used for both teaching and advanced research.
Their relatively low cost per channel and support for open-source tools make it easier for students and researchers to work hands-on with complex topics such as 5G and 6G networks, spectrum sensing, and massive MIMO systems.
How does rapid SDR-based prototyping translate into real business impact— such as faster innovation cycles and reduced time-to-market—for wireless technology companies?
USRPs significantly reduce the complexity, cost, and time associated with hardware development by enabling rapid prototyping, real-world validation, and reuse across development phases—from initial algorithm simulation to live over-the-air deployment.
A single USRP prototype can be scaled to a Multiple- Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) architecture thanks to features like timing and phase synchronization across devices. This ensures that early-stage prototypes can be expanded into production-scale systems without redesigning hardware from scratch.
Companies like SkySafe have used USRPs to build commercial drone detection systems in a matter of weeks rather than years, and USRP- based Open RAN emulators are enabling faster testing and adoption of 5G/6G networks by reducing custom hardware cycles and accelerating deployment timelines.
