Functional Fabric Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces

Overview

Drexel researchers have developed an innovative fabric-based reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) that uses conductive fabric sewn onto non-conductive fabric. This RIS prototype has been developed for IoT and WiFi applications and allows dynamic control of the propagation channel between communicating nodes. The proof-of-concept simulations and prototype developed to date feature a two-dimensional surface with conductive fabric elements designed to operate at 2.4 GHz, but Drexel is open to collaboration and applications around other RIS deployment sizes and frequencies as well.

This fabric-based approach can help solve several problems. It confronts the challenges facing RIS technology of practical and efficient integration into next-generation communication systems, while also tackling the need for flexible, functional control in dense indoor IoT deployment scenarios. The novel technology also addresses the inflexibility and obtrusiveness associated with PCB-based RIS.

Category:

Internet of Things (IoT), 6G, Wireless Communications

Applications

Next-generation network systems like 6G and future Wifi can leverage fabric-based RIS technology
Potential applications in various Internet Of Things (IoT) systems
“Smart building” environments may benefit from fabric-based RIS for interior finishes such as furniture, ceiling and wall treatments

Advantages

Unobtrusiveness - fabric-based RIS can be easily integrated into various household/interior items like furnishings, carpeting, and drapes
Flexibility - unlike conventional printed circuit boards (PCBs), fabric-based RIS offers greater flexibility in deployment
Innovation - it introduces a new kind of RIS that can unobtrusively enable indoor IoT networks
Efficiency - strong interaction with waves, achieving a 16 dB reduction in received signal power between ON and OFF states