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Chinese engineers have developed an innovative metasurface system that turns everyday surfaces such as building walls and underground pipes into active components for next-generation wireless networks.
This award-winning advancement promises to eliminate signal dead zones while simultaneously enabling precise environmental sensing, marking a significant step forward in 6G development.
The technology, known as Distributed Integrated Sensing and Communication Metasurface (DISACM), employs intelligent reconfigurable surfaces to dynamically reshape wireless signal propagation.
It allows for enhanced communication, real-time perception of surroundings, and coordinated computing—all integrated into a single platform. Researchers demonstrated its capabilities in smart city environments by installing ten DISACM modules along a building facade.
The system dramatically improved signal strength in previously weak areas by 10 to 20 decibels while delivering data rates of up to 400 megabits per second. At the same time, it performed environmental monitoring and people-flow tracking.
Developed by a team at Southeast University in Nanjing, led by Professor Cheng Qiang and academician Cui Tiejun—a recognized pioneer in information metamaterials—the innovation addresses longstanding challenges in wireless networks.
Traditional walls and pillars often block or weaken signals, creating frustrating dead zones. DISACM applies engineered artificial electromagnetic materials as a “smart skin” over these surfaces. When signals interact with the material, it actively controls reflections to guide waves around obstacles, effectively extending coverage.
Beyond signal enhancement, the system excels at sensing. As electromagnetic waves interact with moving people or objects, subtle changes occur. DISACM analyzes these variations in real time to determine position, speed, and status of targets.
This dual functionality is particularly valuable in challenging environments like underground mine tunnels or the interiors of large structures, where conventional equipment often fails.
In field tests within mine tunnels, modules embedded in walls and equipment achieved positioning accuracy with errors of less than 10 centimeters. They also boosted received signal power in blind spots by approximately 20 decibels.
Such performance offers vital support for safety monitoring, personnel location tracking, and emergency communications in high-risk settings.
Cui Tiejun’s team first introduced foundational concepts in information metamaterials in 2014, establishing new methods for digitally manipulating electromagnetic waves.
The DISACM project builds on this legacy, earning a gold award at the International Exhibition of Inventions in Geneva. Results from the March event were announced on June 14. Southeast University secured an impressive 29 awards overall, including multiple golds.
This technology highlights China’s aggressive push in 6G research, aiming to create smarter, more responsive urban and industrial infrastructures. By integrating communication and sensing into ordinary building materials, DISACM could reduce the need for dedicated hardware, lower costs, and open new possibilities for pervasive connectivity in complex real-world scenarios. As development continues, the approach may reshape how future networks interact with the physical environment.
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