Autonomous Transport Needs Better Links: MPEI Design Bureau Develops Communications Technologies for Driverless Systems
The new technologies provide reliable signal transmission even in dense urban environments, where buildings and radio interference can make autonomous transport communications more challenging.
The successful rollout of autonomous transport depends on several critical factors. Among them is communications infrastructure capable of delivering reliable control signals in densely built urban areas. Russian researchers are working to address that challenge.
Developer Receives Prestigious Award
Yevgeny Okunev, a researcher at the Special Design Bureau of the Moscow Power Engineering Institute (OKB MPEI), has developed a suite of technologies for automated control and data exchange between autonomous vehicles, urban infrastructure, and centralized monitoring systems. His work received the Moscow Government Prize for Young Scientists for 2025 in the Urban Infrastructure category.
The researcher presented four developments. The first is a family of reconfigurable discrete-analog filters. "Their key advantage is a wide input signal dynamic range. We can significantly improve the frequency selectivity of transport infrastructure's receiving and transmitting systems. That makes it possible to optimize signal performance within the communications channel by selecting the frequency range best suited to current conditions or by filtering out emerging interference," says Yevgeny Okunev.
Another important innovation is a multiband integrated antenna. It can be installed on autonomous vehicles to provide two independent communications channels simultaneously. That approach helps maintain reliable vehicle control as transmitted data volumes continue to increase. The Moscow Government Prize also recognized technologies that improve transceiver synchronization accuracy, as well as a UAV positioning system that supports landing operations when satellite navigation signals are unavailable.
Designed for Minimum Cost
At the same time, Yevgeny Okunev and his colleagues addressed another important consideration. Deploying these technologies across Moscow would require a very large number of devices. The team designed the solutions to maximize the use of Russian-made electronic components wherever possible. That not only reduces dependence on foreign suppliers but also helps lower deployment costs.
Over time, these technologies could clearly be deployed not only in Moscow but also in other Russian cities.
Designed to Scale Across Cities
"Moscow is developing rapidly and implements infrastructure improvements at a fast pace, so introducing our solutions in the capital within a relatively short timeframe is entirely realistic. In other cities, everything depends on the condition of existing systems. For example, about five years ago Tver carried out a major modernization of its public transportation network, and today it also operates a mobile application that displays bus movements. If individual solutions perform well in a megacity such as Moscow, they will work equally well in smaller cities," explains Yevgeny Okunev.
It is important to note that OKB MPEI's developments align fully with Russia's broader strategy to accelerate the digital transformation of transportation. Back in 2021, the country's leadership approved a series of projects aimed at modernizing the sector through 2030. Those initiatives covered autonomous passenger and freight transportation, digital infrastructure, and centralized transport system management.
In 2023, the government approved the Strategy for the Development of Unmanned Aviation through 2030 with a longer-term outlook extending to 2035. The strategy also places significant emphasis on building terrestrial communications infrastructure.
Moscow Becomes a Testbed for Autonomous Transport
Meanwhile, Moscow has become the primary proving ground for the country's most advanced autonomous transport systems. For example, a fully autonomous tram is already operating on one of the capital's routes. Authorities are actively preparing to expand the system across the entire Krasnopresnenskaya tram network.
The latest OKB MPEI developments could hardly have come at a better time. The deployment of autonomous transport continues to expand, and the new technologies address one of the sector's most fundamental challenges: the reliable physical transmission of trusted data between vehicles, infrastructure, and centralized control systems. Without robust radio communications links, digital twins and autonomous driving algorithms cannot function together as a unified transportation system.
