Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RIS) are a promising technology for creating smart radio environments by controlling wireless propagation. However, several factors hinder the integration of RIS technology into existing cellular networks, including the incompatibility of RIS control interfaces with 5G PHY/MAC procedures for synchronizing radio scheduling decisions and RIS operation, and the cost and energy limitations of passive RIS technology. This paper presents RISENSE, a system for practical RIS integration in cellular networks. First, we propose a novel, low-cost, and low-power RIS design capable of decoding control messages without complex baseband operations or additional RF chains, utilizing a power sensor and a network of microstrip lines and couplers. Second, we design an effective in-band wireless RIS control interface, compatible with 5G PHY/MAC procedures, that embeds amplitude-modulated (AM) RIS control commands directly into standard OFDM-modulated 5G data channels. Finally, we propose a low-overhead protocol that supports swift on-demand RIS re-configurability, making it adaptable to varying channel conditions and user mobility, while minimizing the wastage of 5G OFDM symbols. Our experiments validate the design of RISENSE and our evaluation shows that our system can re-configure a RIS at the same pace as users move, boosting 5G coverage where static or slow RIS controllers cannot.

This paper presents a theoretical and mathematical framework for the design of a conformal reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) that adapts to non-planar geometries, which is a critical advancement for the deployment of RIS on non-planar and irregular surfaces as envisioned in smart radio environments. Previous research focused mainly on the optimization of RISs assuming a predetermined shape, while neglecting the intricate interplay between shape optimization, phase optimization, and mutual coupling effects. Our contribution, the Tailored 3D RIS (T3DRIS) framework, addresses this fundamental problem by integrating the configuration and shape optimization of RISs into a unified model and design framework, thus facilitating the application of RIS technology to a wider spectrum of environmental objects. The mathematical core of T3DRIS is rooted in optimizing the 3D deployment of the unit cells and tuning circuits, aiming at maximizing the communication performance. Through rigorous full-wave simulations and a comprehensive set of numerical analyses, we validate the proposed approach and demonstrate its superior performance and applicability over contemporary designs. This study—the first of its kind—paves the way for a new direction in RIS research, emphasizing the importance of a theoretical and mathematical perspective in tackling the challenges of conformal RISs.

The integration of Smart Surfaces in 6G communication networks, also dubbed as Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RISs), is a promising paradigm change gaining significant attention given its disruptive features. RISs are a key enabler in the realm of 6G Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC) systems where novel services can be offered together with the future mobile networks communication capabilities. This paper addresses the critical challenge of precisely localizing users within a communication network by leveraging the controlled-reflective properties of RIS elements without relying on more power-hungry traditional methods, e.g., GPS, adverting the need of deploying additional infrastructure and even avoiding interfering with communication efforts. Moreover, we go one step beyond: we build COLoRIS, anOpportunistic ISACapproach that leverages localization-agnostic RIS configurations to accurately position mobile users via trained learning models. Extensive experimental validation and simulations in large-scale synthetic scenarios show$\mathbf{5\%}$positioning errors (with respect to field size) under different conditions. Further, we show that a low-complexity version running in a limited off-the-shelf (embedded, low-power) system achieves positioning errors in the$\mathbf{11\%}$range at a negligible$\mathbf{+2.7\%}$energy expense with respect to the classical RIS.

Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RISs) are expected to be massively deployed in future beyond-5th generation wireless networks, thanks to their ability to programmatically alter the propagation environment, inherent low-cost and low-maintenance nature. Indeed, they are envisioned to be implemented on the facades of buildings or on moving objects. However, such an innovative characteristic may potentially turn into an involuntary negative behavior that needs to be addressed: an undesired signal scattering. In particular, RIS elements may be prone to experience failures due to lack of proper maintenance or external environmental factors. While the resulting Signal-to-Noise-Ratio (SNR) at the intended User Equipment (UE) may not be significantly degraded, we demonstrate the potential risks in terms of unwanted spreading of the transmit signal to non-intended UEs. In this regard, we consider the problem of mitigating such undesired effectby proposing two simple yet effective algorithms, which are based on maximizing the Signal-to-Leakage-and-Noise-Ratio (SLNR) over a predefined two-dimensional (2D) area and are applicable in the case of perfect channel-state-information (CSI) and partial CSI, respectively. Numerical and full-wave simulations demonstrate the added gains compared to leakage-unaware and reference schemes.

In this poster, we present the Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (RIS) that we designed, built, and tested. At first, the RIS technology is briefly discussed, subsequently, our prototype details are explained, and finally, we conclude by showing the obtained test results. Our RIS design comprises arrays of patch antennas, delay lines, and programmable radio-frequency (RF) switches that enable almost-passive 3D beamforming, i.e., without active RF components.