Prototyping real-time full duplex radios

In this article, we present a real-time full duplex radio system for 5G wireless networks. Full duplex radios are capable of opening new possibilities in contexts of high traffic demand where there are limited radio resources. A critical issue, however, in implementing full duplex radios in real wireless environments is being able to cancel self-interference. To overcome the selfinterference challenge, we prototype our design on a software-defined radio platform. This design combines a dual-polarization antenna-based analog part with a digital self-interference canceler that operates in real time. Prototype test results confirm that the proposed full duplex system achieves about 1.9 times higher throughput than a half duplex system. This article concludes with a discussion of implementation challenges that remain for researchers seeking the most viable solution for full duplex communications.