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Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface-Assisted VLC for battery-free IoT devices

Project description

Towards battery-free IoT devices

The demand for wireless data services and energy sources is growing and this spurt is largely due to advances in IoT device technology. However, as the number of IoT devices is projected to reach tens of billions worldwide over the next few years, concerns about the chemical elements released into the environment of improperly disposed batteries is mounting. Funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the RISA-VLC project will pave the way for battery-free IoT devices. Leveraging intelligent reflecting surfaces (which reconfigure electromagnetic propagation), researchers aim to engineer the propagation channels of visible light communication.

Objective

The vast development of smart communication devices for the Internet of Things (IoT) is incurring an ever-increasing demand of wireless data services and energy sources. It is expected to witness a growth of connected IoT devices in the next few years, reaching up to tens of billions. Currently, these devices rely on batteries for its operation, but the battery recycling is a delicate matter that has a negative environmental impact due to their chemical components. Thus, it is reasonable to think that future communication systems must comply with energy-efficiency standards by minimizing the use of batteries, and then reduce its carbon footprint.
The main objective of RISA-VLC is to enable battery-free IoT devices by engineering, thanks to reflective intelligent surfaces (RIS), the propagation channel of the Visible Light Communication (VLC) technology. To this end, I will retrofit the pervasive deployment of indoor LEDs to provide a robust communication link and an enhanced light power received at IoT devices. In the outgoing phase at University of Virginia I will characterize RIS to perform the additional channel path, which I will also model. Then, I will study its effect in the communication and lighting performance. In the return phase at the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid I will research novel signal-processing and communication techniques to exploit the manageable channel proposed during the outgoing phase. Besides, I will establish guidelines for creating battery-free VLC-enabled IoT devices. The training activities proposed are fundamental for the achievement of RISA-VLC and my personal career goals.
RISA-VLC guarantees a three-way transfer of knowledge since it combines my past experience in theoretical VLC techniques and VLC prototyping, with supervisors' expertise on optimization of systems, VLC reflection exploitation and advanced signal processing and communication techniques.

Coordinator

UNIVERSIDAD CARLOS III DE MADRID
Net EU contribution
€ 261 380,64
Address
CALLE MADRID 126
28903 Getafe (Madrid)
Spain

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Region
Comunidad de Madrid Comunidad de Madrid Madrid
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost
No data

Partners (1)