Adaptive RIS Configuration Design with Environmental Sensing for User Localization in Dynamic Rich Scattering Environment

This paper addresses the problem of adaptive reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS) configuration design for user localization in rich-scattering environment (RSE), where electromagnetic waves undergo multiple interactions with dynamic scatterers and RIS elements. We propose an adaptive learning-based localization approach for a distributed RIS-assisted network in a RSE using a bidirectional long-short term memory (biLSTM) model that captures temporal correlations between observations. The proposed approach actively senses the environment using sequential pilot transmissions from the base station (BS), accounting for scattering effects, and adaptively updates the RIS configuration based on prior measurements to eventually accurately estimate and minimize the user localization error. The proposed model comprises two neural sub-networks: Scattering Estimation Network (Bi-SEN), for estimation of scattering in the environment, and Adaptive RIS-Assisted User Localization Network (Bi-ARULN), for RIS configuration and localization. Bayesian optimization is used for hyperparameter tuning of the model. The simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach, achieving significantly lower localization root mean squared error (RMSE compared to random configuration, prestored codebook look-ups, and adaptive baselines in both single-input-single-output (SISO) and multiple-input-multiple output(MIMO) RIS-assisted networks in RSE. The design is generalized across configurations and scales with RIS size and network dimensions. The results highlight the strong potential of RIS deployment and of the proposed approach to enable reliable location services in RSE.

Integrated Sensing, User Location and Orientation Estimation in RIS-Assisted Dynamic Rich Scattering Environment

This paper investigates an uplink user equipment (UE) location and orientation estimation problem in an indoor rich-scattering environment (RSE) for a multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) narrowband reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS)-assisted communication system. The localization problem in RSE is challenging as the uplink pilot signal undergoes multiple interactions with the RIS and dynamic scattering objects (SOs). This paper proposes an approach where base station (BS) adaptively senses the environment with the help of RIS. Based on this sensing, it sequentially designs RIS configuration, BS beamforming and UE beamforming vectors, using the sequence of pilot transmissions from the UE to the BS, with an objective of progressively focusing them onto the UE. Towards this end, we train a bidirectional long-short term memory (biLSTM) network based controller to capture the temporal dependencies between measurements to first adaptively sense the RSE and then design RIS, BS and UE beamforming vectors to localize the UE. We evaluate the proposed approach under various RSE conditions such as various distributed RIS installations, varying number of randomly moving SOs and sensing RIS elements. Simulation results illustrate that it effectively enables adaptive sensing to achieve low localization error with robustness in various RSEs.

Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces in Dynamic Rich Scattering Environments: BiLSTM-Based Optimization for Accurate User Localization

The integration of reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS) in wireless environments offers channel programmability and dynamic control over propagation channels, which is expected to play a crucial role in sixth generation (6G) networks. The majority of RIS-related research has focused on simpler, quasi-free-space conditions, where wireless channels are typically modeled analytically. However, many practical localization scenarios unfold in environments characterized by rich scattering that also change over time. These dynamic and complex conditions pose significant challenges in determining the optimal RIS configuration to maximize localization accuracy. In this paper, we present our approach to overcoming this challenge. This paper introduces a novel approach that leverages a bidirectional long-short term memory (biLSTM) network, trained with a simulator that accurately reflects wave physics, to capture the relationship between wireless channels and the RIS configuration under dynamic, rich-scattering conditions. We use this approach to optimize RIS configurations for enhanced user equipment (UE) localization, measured by mean squared error (MSE). Through extensive simulations, we demonstrate that our approach adapts RIS configurations to significantly improve localization accuracy in such dynamically changing rich scattering environments.

Role of Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces in 6G Radio Localization: Recent Developments, Opportunities, Challenges, and Applications

Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) are seen as a key enabler low-cost and energy-efficient technology for 6G radio communication and localization. In this paper, we aim to provide a comprehensive overview of the current research progress on the RIS technology in radio localization for 6G. Particularly, we discuss the RIS-assisted radio localization taxonomy and review the studies of RIS-assisted radio localization for different network scenarios, bands of transmission, deployment environments, as well as near-field operations. Based on this review, we highlight the future research directions, associated technical challenges, real-world applications, and limitations of RIS-assisted radio localization.