The INSTINCT project is aimed to enable sustainable, interactive, immersive, and intelligent ‘beyond communications’ sixth generation (6G) connectivity with 13 partners from 5 different European countries. The project wants to achieve the development of three complementary but critical breakthrough technology pillars during its three-years duration:
• sensing-assisted communication technologies, thus allowing localization, tracking, mapping, monitoring, imaging, incident detection and semantics become integral parts of connectivity services (Pillar 1),
• intelligent surfaces, holographic radios and cell free systems, which offer wavefront engineering functionalities and tuneability of the wireless environment and can act as reconfigurable and intelligent sensors (Pillar 2), and
• Machine Learning techniques-based co-design of Sensing and Communications (Pillar 3).
These pillars will result in three demonstrators – two hardware and one software demonstrations for interactive, immersive and intelligent connectivity in 6G usage scenarios.
The three objectives are summarized below.
Objective 1: Enhancing Connectivity Through Integrated Sensing and Communication
This objective focuses on merging communication and sensing technologies to enable more responsive and intelligent network services. By leveraging various frequency bands and advanced signal processing, the aim is to support emerging applications in future 6G networks.
Purpose: To develop systems that can simultaneously communicate and sense their environment, improving location accuracy, situational awareness, and overall network efficiency.
Approach: Utilize shared infrastructure and dual-function waveforms to reduce energy and cost, while integrating artificial intelligence for adaptive resource management.
Impact: Enhanced reliability, coverage, and responsiveness in critical scenarios such as public safety and disaster recovery.
Objective 2: Building Resilient and Adaptive Networks Using Intelligent Surfaces
This objective aims to create robust and flexible connectivity solutions by incorporating reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS), large intelligent surfaces (LIS), and distributed network technologies.
Purpose: To ensure consistent and high-quality connectivity even in challenging environments, such as areas with signal blockage or high user density.
Approach: Develop realistic models and optimization frameworks for smart surfaces that can sense and adapt to their surroundings, supported by advanced signal processing and system-level simulations.
Impact: Improved energy efficiency, reduced latency, and greater network availability, with a focus on scalability and sustainability.
Objective 3: Co-Designing Intelligent Networks Through AI and Advanced Hardware
This objective addresses the joint design of communication and sensing systems using artificial intelligence, machine learning, and specialized hardware solutions to support future 6G radio access networks.
Purpose: To enable intelligent, multifunctional networks capable of learning and adapting to dynamic conditions and user needs.
Approach: Employ AI-driven optimization techniques, structured learning methods, and co-designed hardware architectures to manage complexity and enhance performance.
Impact: Increased connection density, reliability, and energy efficiency, with a strong emphasis on trustworthiness and intelligent resource allocation.
