Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces for Communication, Computing and Sensing

Recent advances in reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS) have emerged as a transformative paradigm for future wireless communications, computing and sensing, attracting significant attention from academic, research, and industry communities worldwide. RIS technology, including innovative architectures such as simultaneously transmitting and reflecting RIS (STAR-RIS), beyond diagonal RIS (BD-RIS), and stacked intelligent metasurfaces (SIM), offers unprecedented capabilities to intelligently control and manipulate electromagnetic waves in wireless propagation environments.

By enabling programmable smart radio environments, RIS presents a cost-effective and energy-efficient solution to address the growing demands for higher data rates, enhanced coverage, improved reliability, and sustainable communications in next-generation networks, particularly 6G systems. It has then become imperative to consolidate on the latest research breakthroughs, theoretical advancements, and practical implementations, accelerating the technology's maturation.

This Research Topic focuses on the latest theoretical foundations, design methodologies, optimization techniques, and practical implementations of RIS technology across diverse communication, computing and sensing paradigms and application domains. The objective is to bring together cutting-edge research that advances our understanding of RIS-aided communications and demonstrates their potential to revolutionize wireless networks. Original studies (unpublished and not currently under review by another journal) are welcome in relevant areas, including (but not limited to) the following:

▪ RIS and smart radio environment design for 6G systems.
▪ RIS-aided MIMO transmission and space-time coding techniques.
▪ RIS-aided massive MIMO and ultra-massive MIMO architectures.
▪ RIS-aided cooperative communications and networks.
▪ RIS-aided cognitive communications and spectrum sharing.
▪ RIS for millimetre wave and terahertz communications.
▪ Channel estimation, detection, and feedback mechanisms in RIS-assisted systems.
▪ Interference management and mitigation strategies using RIS.
▪ Machine learning and artificial intelligence for RIS optimization (e.g., passive beamforming, phase shift design, resource allocation, etc.).
▪ Edge computing and cloud computing integration with RIS-enabled networks.
▪ RIS-aided green communications and energy harvesting systems.
▪ Physical layer security and secure communications using RIS.
▪ RIS-aided integrated sensing and communication (ISAC).
▪ RIS-aided integrated computing and communication paradigms.
▪ RIS for positioning, localization, and navigation services.
▪ Near-field communication and sensing techniques using RIS.
▪ Semantic communications empowered by RIS technology.
▪ Vehicular communications and intelligent transportation systems using RIS.
▪ Over-the-air computing, machine learning and neural networks via RIS.
▪ Radar positioning, detection and imaging using RIS technology.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Original Research
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RIS), 6G Wireless Communications, Smart Radio Environments, Integrated Sensing, Communication, Computing AI-Driven Optimization, Edge Integration, Cloud Integration

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.