Robust Hybrid Beamforming with Liquid Crystal Antennas and Liquid Neural Networks

Sub-terahertz (sub-THz) multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO) systems unlock immense bandwidth for 6G wireless communications. However, practical deployment of wireless systems in sub-THz bands faces critical challenges such as increased atmospheric absorption, reduced channel coherence time due to increased Doppler spread at higher carrier frequencies, and hardware bottlenecks as low-loss sub-THz phase shifters are difficult to realize. To overcome the hardware and channel estimation challenges of sub-THz systems, this paper proposes a hybrid beamforming (BF) framework that integrates reconfigurable liquid crystal (LC) antennas with a liquid neural network (LNN) for transmitter. Specifically, we employ an LC antenna as the analog BF stage of a hybrid BF architecture, exploiting its voltage-driven permittivity tunability to achieve high-gain beam steering without the need for lossy phase shifters. For digital BF, we utilize an ordinary differential equations-defined LNN to learn temporal channel dynamics, and use a manifold optimization technique to compress the search space. We validated the proposed method on simulated site-specific 108 GHz ray-tracing channels in an urban scenario using NYURay, a ray-tracing simulator validated against 142 GHz propagation measurements. The 108 GHz carrier frequency matches the operating band of the LC antenna hardware. The proposed method achieves an 88.6\% spectral efficiency (SE) gain and higher robustness to imperfect channel estimation compared to the learning-aided gradient descent and gated recurrent unit machine learning baselines, and 1.9 times higher SE than the 3GPP TR~38.901 standard antenna model, highlighting the potential of LC-based hardware for sub-THz communications.

NYUSIM: A Roadmap to AI-Enabled Statistical Channel Modeling and Simulation

Integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into wireless channel modeling requires large, accurate, and physically consistent datasets derived from real measurements. Such datasets are essential for training and validating models that learn spatio-temporal channel behavior across frequencies and environments. NYUSIM, introduced by NYU WIRELESS in 2016, generates realistic spatio-temporal channel data using extensive outdoor and indoor measurements between 28 and 142 GHz. To improve scalability and support 6G research, we migrated the complete NYUSIM framework from MATLAB to Python, and are incorporating new statistical model generation capabilities from extensive field measurements in the new 6G upper mid-band spectrum at 6.75 GHz (FR1(C)) and 16.95 GHz (FR3) [1]. The NYUSIM Python also incorporates a 3D antenna data format, referred to as Ant3D, which is a standardized, full-sphere format for defining canonical, commercial, or measured antenna patterns for any statistical or site-specific ray tracing modeling tool. Migration from MATLAB to Python was rigorously validated through Kolmogorov-Smirnov (K-S) tests, moment analysis, and end-to-end testing with unified randomness control, confirming statistical consistency and reproduction of spatio-temporal channel statistics, including spatial consistency with the open-source MATLAB NYUSIM v4.0 implementation. The NYUSIM Python version is designed to integrate with modern AI workflows and enable large-scale parallel data generation, establishing a robust, verified, and extensible foundation for future AI-enabled channel modeling.

HoRAMA: Holistic Reconstruction with Automated Material Assignment for Ray Tracing using NYURay

Next-generation wireless networks at upper mid-band and millimeter-wave frequencies require accurate site-specific deterministic channel propagation prediction. Wireless ray tracing (RT) provides site-specific predictions but demands high-fidelity three-dimensional (3D) environment models with material properties. Manual 3D model reconstruction achieves high accuracy but requires weeks of expert effort, creating scalability bottlenecks for large environment reconstruction. Traditional vision-based 3D reconstruction methods lack RT compatibility due to geometrically defective meshes and missing material properties. This paper presents Holistic Reconstruction with Automated Material Assignment (HoRAMA) for wireless propagation prediction using NYURay. HoRAMA generates RT-compatible 3D models from RGB video readily captured using a smartphone or low-cost portable camera, by integrating MASt3R-SLAM dense point cloud generation with vision language model-assisted material assignment. The HoRAMA 3D reconstruction method is verified by comparing NYURay RT predictions, using both manually created and HoRAMA-generated 3D models, against field measurements at 6.75 GHz and 16.95 GHz across 12 TX-RX locations in a 700 square meter factory. HoRAMA ray tracing predictions achieve a 2.28 dB RMSE for matched multipath component (MPC) power predictions, comparable to the manually created 3D model baseline (2.18 dB), while reducing 3D reconstruction time from two months to 16 hours. HoRAMA enables scalable wireless digital twin creation for RT network planning, infrastructure deployment, and beam management in 5G/6G systems, as well as eventual real-time implementation at the edge.

Site-Specific Location Calibration and Validation of Ray-Tracing Simulator NYURay at Upper Mid-Band Frequencies

Ray-tracing (RT) simulators are essential for wireless digital twins, enabling accurate site-specific radio channel prediction for next-generation wireless systems. Yet, RT simulation accuracy is often limited by insufficient measurement data and a lack of systematic validation. This paper presents site-specific location calibration and validation of NYURay, NYU's in-house ray tracer, at upper mid-band frequencies (6.75 GHz and 16.95 GHz). We propose a location calibration algorithm that corrects GPS-induced position errors by optimizing transmitter-receiver (TX-RX) locations to align simulated and measured power delay profiles, improving TX-RX location accuracy by 42.3% for line-of-sight (LOS) and 13.5% for non-line-of-sight (NLOS) scenarios. Validation across 18 TX-RX locations shows excellent RT accuracy in path loss prediction, with path loss exponent (PLE) deviations under 0.14. While RT underestimates delay spread and angular spreads, their cumulative distributions remain statistically similar. The validated NYURay advances RT validation and provides reliable channel statistics for 6G deployment.