Doodle Labs’ Ash Parikh on jamming, anti-jamming, and drone warfare

In a recent Lexicon episode, Ashish Parikh, Co-CEO and CTO of Doodle Labs, emphasized the critical role of communication in autonomous systems like drones and robotics. While AI advances drive capabilities, robust wireless connectivity remains the real bottleneck for effective operation, especially over long distances and complex terrains. Parikh highlighted that as drone operations scale from single units to swarms, communication challenges multiply—not just in bandwidth demand but in network complexity—leading to congestion, interference, and potential failure if not properly managed. Parikh also discussed the immutable physical laws governing radio frequency (RF) communication, such as signal weakening over distance and the importance of maintaining clear Fresnel zones for long-range links. Antenna design—omnidirectional for maneuverability and directional with mechanical tracking for range—plays a vital role in overcoming these constraints. Additionally, in contested environments, deliberate jamming poses a significant threat by overwhelming receivers with noise. Countermeasures like frequency hopping help evade interference, but adversaries continuously