{"title":"Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces in 6G Radio Localization: A Survey of Recent Developments, Opportunities, and Challenges","authors":"Anum Umer;Ivo Müürsepp;Muhammad Mahtab Alam;Henk Wymeersch","doi":"10.1109/COMST.2025.3536517","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"In this survey paper, we present an extensive review of the use of reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS) in 6G radio localization, highlighting their pivotal role as a low-cost, energy-efficient technology that reshapes wireless communication and localization landscapes. Investigating the versatile capabilities of RIS, we explore their dynamic control over electromagnetic wave manipulation, including reflection, refraction, and transmission, which opens new horizons in diverse applications ranging from Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity to advanced mobile communication, and various innovative applications in Industry 4.0. Our comprehensive review provides an overview of RIS use in 6G radio localization, highlighting recent progress in RIS technology assisted localization. It focuses on key aspects, including network scenarios, transmission bands, deployment environments, and near-field operations. We discuss studies to examine the state-of-the-art RIS-assisted localization and optimization techniques and their performance evaluation matrices. In addition, we present a detailed taxonomy of RIS-assisted radio localization, emphasizing the rapid evolution and potential of RIS technology in non-line-of-sight scenarios as an alternative to traditional base stations. Based on the careful investigation of the reviewed studies, the survey also sheds light on future research directions, technical challenges, and limitations, offering a clear perspective on the integration and optimization of RIS in 6G networks for enhanced localization capabilities.","PeriodicalId":55029,"journal":{"name":"IEEE Communications Surveys and Tutorials","volume":"27 6","pages":"3526-3560"},"PeriodicalIF":34.4000,"publicationDate":"2025-01-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"IEEE Communications Surveys and Tutorials","FirstCategoryId":"94","ListUrlMain":"https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10858311/","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"COMPUTER SCIENCE, INFORMATION SYSTEMS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
In this survey paper, we present an extensive review of the use of reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS) in 6G radio localization, highlighting their pivotal role as a low-cost, energy-efficient technology that reshapes wireless communication and localization landscapes. Investigating the versatile capabilities of RIS, we explore their dynamic control over electromagnetic wave manipulation, including reflection, refraction, and transmission, which opens new horizons in diverse applications ranging from Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity to advanced mobile communication, and various innovative applications in Industry 4.0. Our comprehensive review provides an overview of RIS use in 6G radio localization, highlighting recent progress in RIS technology assisted localization. It focuses on key aspects, including network scenarios, transmission bands, deployment environments, and near-field operations. We discuss studies to examine the state-of-the-art RIS-assisted localization and optimization techniques and their performance evaluation matrices. In addition, we present a detailed taxonomy of RIS-assisted radio localization, emphasizing the rapid evolution and potential of RIS technology in non-line-of-sight scenarios as an alternative to traditional base stations. Based on the careful investigation of the reviewed studies, the survey also sheds light on future research directions, technical challenges, and limitations, offering a clear perspective on the integration and optimization of RIS in 6G networks for enhanced localization capabilities.
期刊介绍:
IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials is an online journal published by the IEEE Communications Society for tutorials and surveys covering all aspects of the communications field. Telecommunications technology is progressing at a rapid pace, and the IEEE Communications Society is committed to providing researchers and other professionals the information and tools to stay abreast. IEEE Communications Surveys and Tutorials focuses on integrating and adding understanding to the existing literature on communications, putting results in context. Whether searching for in-depth information about a familiar area or an introduction into a new area, IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials aims to be the premier source of peer-reviewed, comprehensive tutorials and surveys, and pointers to further sources. IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials publishes only articles exclusively written for IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials and go through a rigorous review process before their publication in the quarterly issues.
A tutorial article in the IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials should be designed to help the reader to become familiar with and learn something specific about a chosen topic. In contrast, the term survey, as applied here, is defined to mean a survey of the literature. A survey article in IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials should provide a comprehensive review of developments in a selected area, covering its development from its inception to its current state and beyond, and illustrating its development through liberal citations from the literature. Both tutorials and surveys should be tutorial in nature and should be written in a style comprehensible to readers outside the specialty of the article.