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Metasurface-assisted massive backscatter wireless communication with commodity Wi-Fi signals

Author

Listed:
  • Hanting Zhao

    (Peking University)

  • Ya Shuang

    (Peking University)

  • Menglin Wei

    (Peking University)

  • Tie Jun Cui

    (Southeast University)

  • Philipp del Hougne

    (Univ Rennes, CNRS, Institut d’Electronique et de Télécommunications de Rennes (IETR)—UMR 6164)

  • Lianlin Li

    (Peking University)

Abstract

Conventional wireless communication architecture, a backbone of our modern society, relies on actively generated carrier signals to transfer information, leading to important challenges including limited spectral resources and energy consumption. Backscatter communication systems, on the other hand, modulate an antenna’s impedance to encode information into already existing waves but suffer from low data rates and a lack of information security. Here, we introduce the concept of massive backscatter communication which modulates the propagation environment of stray ambient waves with a programmable metasurface. The metasurface’s large aperture and huge number of degrees of freedom enable unprecedented wave control and thereby secure and high-speed information transfer. Our prototype leveraging existing commodity 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi signals achieves data rates on the order of hundreds of Kbps. Our technique is applicable to all types of wave phenomena and provides a fundamentally new perspective on the role of metasurfaces in future wireless communication.

Suggested Citation

  • Hanting Zhao & Ya Shuang & Menglin Wei & Tie Jun Cui & Philipp del Hougne & Lianlin Li, 2020. "Metasurface-assisted massive backscatter wireless communication with commodity Wi-Fi signals," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 11(1), pages 1-10, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:11:y:2020:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-020-17808-y
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-17808-y
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    Cited by:

    1. Jérôme Sol & David R. Smith & Philipp Hougne, 2022. "Meta-programmable analog differentiator," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-10, December.
    2. Jérôme Sol & Hugo Prod’homme & Luc Le Magoarou & Philipp del Hougne, 2024. "Experimentally realized physical-model-based frugal wave control in metasurface-programmable complex media," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-11, December.
    3. Jing Cheng Liang & Lei Zhang & Zhangjie Luo & Rui Zhe Jiang & Zhang Wen Cheng & Si Ran Wang & Meng Ke Sun & Shi Jin & Qiang Cheng & Tie Jun Cui, 2024. "A filtering reconfigurable intelligent surface for interference-free wireless communications," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-12, December.
    4. Xin Wang & Jia Qi Han & Guan Xuan Li & De Xiao Xia & Ming Yang Chang & Xiang Jin Ma & Hao Xue & Peng Xu & Rui Jie Li & Kun Yi Zhang & Hai Xia Liu & Long Li & Tie Jun Cui, 2023. "High-performance cost efficient simultaneous wireless information and power transfers deploying jointly modulated amplifying programmable metasurface," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-10, December.

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