SRE aims at:
- Deep physical understanding, design tools, implementation and assessment of smart electromagnetic nodes for smart radio environments (SREs). In particular: metamaterials, reconfigurable intelligent surfaces, smart skins, smart antennas, active repeaters, energy harvesting solutions, signal processing algorithms for communication and sensing.
- Demonstration of lab-scale SREs for well-defined use cases.
- Meet the KPIs for 6G wireless systems through reduced complexity, cost effective, energy effective, environmentally friendly and green solutions.
SRE is part of Spoke 7 – Green and Smart Environments
Project PIs: Davide Dardari / Daniele Riccio
[M1-M9]
- Deep physical understanding, design tools, implementation and assessment of smart electromagnetic nodes for smart radio environments (SREs). In particular: metamaterials, reconfigurable intelligent surfaces, smart skins, smart antennas, active repeaters, energy harvesting solutions, signal processing algorithms for communication and sensing.
- Demonstration of lab-scale SREs for well-defined use cases.
- Meet the KPIs for 6G wireless systems through reduced complexity, cost effective, energy effective, environmentally friendly and green solutions.
- Metasurface Design: We explored fractal-based metasurfaces and designed a plasma-based reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) for beam-steering. We also developed a ray-tracing tool for SRE planning and investigated curved passive smart skins for urban infrastructures.
- Energy Harvesting: We designed innovative schemes to achieve energy-autonomous RIS.
- RIS-Aided Communications: We developed algorithms for optimal RIS configuration and improved communication performance. We also implemented multi-user MIMO communications using self-conjugating metasurfaces.
- RIS-Aided Localization: We used passive frequency-selective metasurfaces for localization and sensing in non-line-of-sight conditions, achieving centimeter-level accuracy. We also formulated performance limits for vehicular applications.
- Imaging: We explored advanced imaging techniques for customizing electromagnetic field reflection. This enables the creation of innovative devices tailored to specific requirements.
Main outcomes for potential exploitation:
Metaprisms for enhanced communication and sensing: The innovation consists of a fully passive frequency-selective, and non-reconfigurable metasurface, named metaprism, and related signal processing schemes, aimed to assist the wireless connectivity, reliability, throughput, and localization in complex indoor environments, with a low-cost, zero-latency, full-duplex, low-complexity, and green technology (zero-consumption, zero-EM emission and no maintenance).
In contrast to other solutions, one of the main features of metaprisms is recycling the radio waves in a constructive and energy-efficient manner. From a socio-economic point of view, this is a promising solution to lower the levels of EM radiations in sensitive environments, such as hospitals and airplanes. One of the main advantages of the proposed metaprism technology lies in the fact that it does not require high resources and very expensive equipment to be implemented, thus lowering the economic entry barrier and making it accessible to small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
Efficient low complexity channel estimation and tracking methods in RIS-aided communication at mmWaves.
The reliability for 6G radio environment and sensor localisation is achieved by exploiting the adaptive reconfigurability of RISs to tackle the dead-zone problem in challenging scenarios.
Societal Impact:
Enhanced 5G and Beyond connectivity through optimized RIS selection can significantly improve communication in smart radio environments. Improved connectivity can enhance social inclusion and bridge the digital divide, providing more people with access to critical services and opportunities. Possibility of enhancing user communication performance by exploiting location information. This leads to a smarter use of the existing communication resources. For example, user tracking can enable more responsive and personalized services, improving quality of life and operational efficiency or real-time monitoring for safer factories and the support to the activity of human operators.
Economic Impact:
Using less expensive RISs with a limited number of quantization bits for their phase profiles can make advanced communication technologies more affordable. This cost efficiency can encourage broader adoption of RIS technology in various industries, from telecommunications to automotive and beyond. Re-use of the existing communication infrastructure for tracking and localization services leading to a reduced cost and hardware deployment. Possibility of optimizing the RISs less frequently with the same level of tracking/localization accuracy.
Scientific outcomes:
Papers:
Best paper Award: Davide Tornielli Bellini, Dario Tagliaferri, Marouan Mizmizi, Stefano Tebaldini, Umberto Spagnolini, “Multi-View Near-field Imaging in NLOS with Non-Reconfigurable EM Skins”, ArXiv, 2024, ICC 2024, workshop NFCLS, Denver, USA, June 2024
Best paper Award: D. Dardari, M. Lotti, N. Decarli, and G. Pasolini (UNIBO and IEIIT-CNR) "Establishing MIMO Communications Automatically using Self-Conjugating Metasurfaces" SCA – Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces and Smart Environments at the International Conference on Communications (ICC) 2023, Rome, May 2023
N. Decarli, A. Guerra, C. Giovannetti, F. Guidi and B. M. Masini (IEIIT-CNR) “V2X Sidelink Localization of Connected Automated Vehicles”, IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications, October 2023
Metaprisms for enhanced communication and sensing: The innovation consists of a fully passive frequency-selective, and non-reconfigurable metasurface, named metaprism, and related signal processing schemes, aimed to assist the wireless connectivity, reliability, throughput, and localization in complex indoor environments, with a low-cost, zero-latency, full-duplex, low-complexity, and green technology (zero-consumption, zero-EM emission and no maintenance).
In contrast to other solutions, one of the main features of metaprisms is recycling the radio waves in a constructive and energy-efficient manner. From a socio-economic point of view, this is a promising solution to lower the levels of EM radiations in sensitive environments, such as hospitals and airplanes. One of the main advantages of the proposed metaprism technology lies in the fact that it does not require high resources and very expensive equipment to be implemented, thus lowering the economic entry barrier and making it accessible to small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
Efficient low complexity channel estimation and tracking methods in RIS-aided communication at mmWaves.
The reliability for 6G radio environment and sensor localisation is achieved by exploiting the adaptive reconfigurability of RISs to tackle the dead-zone problem in challenging scenarios.
Societal Impact:
Enhanced 5G and Beyond connectivity through optimized RIS selection can significantly improve communication in smart radio environments. Improved connectivity can enhance social inclusion and bridge the digital divide, providing more people with access to critical services and opportunities. Possibility of enhancing user communication performance by exploiting location information. This leads to a smarter use of the existing communication resources. For example, user tracking can enable more responsive and personalized services, improving quality of life and operational efficiency or real-time monitoring for safer factories and the support to the activity of human operators.
Economic Impact:
Using less expensive RISs with a limited number of quantization bits for their phase profiles can make advanced communication technologies more affordable. This cost efficiency can encourage broader adoption of RIS technology in various industries, from telecommunications to automotive and beyond. Re-use of the existing communication infrastructure for tracking and localization services leading to a reduced cost and hardware deployment. Possibility of optimizing the RISs less frequently with the same level of tracking/localization accuracy.
Scientific outcomes:
- 69 Publications
- 1 Patent + 1 Innovation
- 3 Best Paper Award
- 9 Invited talks
- 7 Workshops/special sessions
Papers:
Best paper Award: Davide Tornielli Bellini, Dario Tagliaferri, Marouan Mizmizi, Stefano Tebaldini, Umberto Spagnolini, “Multi-View Near-field Imaging in NLOS with Non-Reconfigurable EM Skins”, ArXiv, 2024, ICC 2024, workshop NFCLS, Denver, USA, June 2024
Best paper Award: D. Dardari, M. Lotti, N. Decarli, and G. Pasolini (UNIBO and IEIIT-CNR) "Establishing MIMO Communications Automatically using Self-Conjugating Metasurfaces" SCA – Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces and Smart Environments at the International Conference on Communications (ICC) 2023, Rome, May 2023
N. Decarli, A. Guerra, C. Giovannetti, F. Guidi and B. M. Masini (IEIIT-CNR) “V2X Sidelink Localization of Connected Automated Vehicles”, IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications, October 2023
An interaction took place with the industrial partner Leonardo s.p.a. for the study and development of universal metasurface antennas (UMA) for simultaneous and independent controls of all the properties of electromagnetic waves in a software-defined manner.
UMA-based transceivers might implement a form of hybrid A/D beamforming, since part of the processing of the transmitted/received signals is carried out in the analog domain. UMA provides similar beamforming capabilities to those achievable with typical phased array antennas, but with much lower power consumption and cost. In addition, Leonardo has shown keen interest in plasma antenna technology.
Several meetings have been conducted to explore the potential of this technology and to evaluate the state-of-the-art solutions for plasma generation, identifying the pros and cons of various approaches. There is particular interest in the potential use of plasma to enhance the performance of current radomes.
Plasma can be toggled on and off to create selective screens, which minimize interference among antennas. The most promising application for these selective plasma screens appears to be in shipborne antennas for satellite communications.
Interactions with other companies are ongoing.
UMA-based transceivers might implement a form of hybrid A/D beamforming, since part of the processing of the transmitted/received signals is carried out in the analog domain. UMA provides similar beamforming capabilities to those achievable with typical phased array antennas, but with much lower power consumption and cost. In addition, Leonardo has shown keen interest in plasma antenna technology.
Several meetings have been conducted to explore the potential of this technology and to evaluate the state-of-the-art solutions for plasma generation, identifying the pros and cons of various approaches. There is particular interest in the potential use of plasma to enhance the performance of current radomes.
Plasma can be toggled on and off to create selective screens, which minimize interference among antennas. The most promising application for these selective plasma screens appears to be in shipborne antennas for satellite communications.
Interactions with other companies are ongoing.
Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) represent the most promising Key Enabling Technology candidate to take on the challenges of 6G systems in terms of dramatically reduced latency and ultra-high capacity.
The project S12 – SRE proposes new key-enabling technologies for the realization of smart radio environments based on reconfigurable intelligent metasurfaces to overcome the current limitations of 5G technologies in order to handle ultra-high capacity, near-zero latency, and high energy efficiency.
The project aims to combine the strong expertise of groups in Italy working in the fields of wireless communication and electromagnetic theory, with the goal of exploring this new technology and making it suitable for enabling the new paradigm of smart radio environments, allowing the Country to play a relevant role in Europe and worldwide in the communications of the future.
The main outcomes achieved so far can be summarized as follows:
The project S12 – SRE proposes new key-enabling technologies for the realization of smart radio environments based on reconfigurable intelligent metasurfaces to overcome the current limitations of 5G technologies in order to handle ultra-high capacity, near-zero latency, and high energy efficiency.
The project aims to combine the strong expertise of groups in Italy working in the fields of wireless communication and electromagnetic theory, with the goal of exploring this new technology and making it suitable for enabling the new paradigm of smart radio environments, allowing the Country to play a relevant role in Europe and worldwide in the communications of the future.
The main outcomes achieved so far can be summarized as follows:
- Innovative metasurface design approaches for the implementation of RIS, even energy autonomous.
- Algorithms for optimal RIS configuration and novel metasurface-based approaches for improved communication performance in terms of coverage, data rate, reduced latency, and energy consumption.
- RIS-Aided Localization and imaging: New solutions exploiting passive frequency-selective metasurfaces for localization and sensing in non-line-of-sight conditions, achieving centimeter-level accuracy.
Publications
- Expected: at least 60 publications in 36 months
- Accomplished: 69
- Readiness Level: <100%
Joint publications (at least two partners of RESTART)
- Expected: >=30% joint publications in 36 months
- Accomplished: 14,4% (10/69)
- Readiness Level: 66%
Talks/Keynotes/Communication Events
- Expected: 20 talks within SRE activities in 36 months
- Accomplished: 9 (among dissemination events and conference presentations)
- Readiness Level: 77%
Organization of workshops/special sessions/webinars
- Expected: 10 events chairing/organizing within SRE activities in 36 months
- Accomplished: 7
- Readiness Level: <100%
Meetings/presentations with/to companies:
- Expected: 10
- Accomplished: 4
- Readiness Level: 68%
Project Meetings
- Expected: > 30 meetings
- Accomplished: 25 meetings
- Readiness: 83%
Patents/Innovations
- Expected: 10 items over 36 months
- Accomplished: 2 (1 patent, 1 innovation)
- Readiness Level: 34%
Demo/Poc
- Expected: at least 3 PoCs expected by the end of the project
- Accomplished: 0
- Readiness Level: 0% (according to the plan)
Open source contributions
- Expected: at least 1 expected by the end of the project
- Accomplished: 0
- Readiness Level: 0% (according to the plan)
Standardization contributions
- Expected: none
- Accomplished: 0
- Readiness Level: N/A
Identifying the state of the art of the latest applications of 6G in telemedicine services.
D1: Passive smart EM nodes - Initial report
D1: Passive smart EM nodes - Initial report
- Due date: 30/6/2023
- Status: Accomplished
- Readiness level: 100%
- Due date: 30/6/2023
- Status: Accomplished
- Readiness level: 100%
- Due date: 31/12/2023
- Status: Accomplished
- Readiness level: 100%
- Due date: 31/3/2024
- Status: Accomplished
- Readiness level: 100%
- Due date: 30/6/2024
- Status: Accomplished
- Readiness level: 100%
- Due date: 30/6/2024
- Status: Accomplished
- Readiness level: 100%
- Due date: 30/9/2024
- Status: Accomplished
- Readiness level: 100%
- Due date: 31/12/2024
- Status: Expected
- Readiness level: 30%
- Due date: 30/6/2025
- Status: Expected
- Readiness level: 0%
- Due date: 30/11/2025
- Status: Expected
- Readiness level: 0%
- Due date: 30/11/2025
- Status: Expected
- Readiness level: 0%
- Due date: 31/12/2025
- Status: Expected
- Readiness level: 0%
- Due date: 31/12/2025
- Status: Expected
- Readiness level: 0%
- Due date: 31/12/2025
- Status: Expected
- Readiness level: 0%
- Due date: 31/12/2025
- Status: Expected
- Readiness level: 0%
Researchers involved: about 200 PM
Collaboration proposals:
The team could benefit from collaborating with healthcare facilities employing telemedicine services in their clinical routing.
For any proposal of collaboration within the project please contact the project PIs.
SRE News: