Adaptively Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface for Integrated Sensing and Communication Scenario

Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS) have recently drawn significant attention due to their superior capability in manipulating electromagnetic (EM) environment. However, existing RISs still require human supervision or externally supplied information to perform EM manipulation. In this work, we propose an adaptively reconfigurable intelligent surface (ARIS) that integrates the capabilities of environmental sensing and programmable wave manipulation. By sensing the electric field distribution on its surface, ARIS acquires environmental information and subsequently adj usts the states of the elements, thereby maximizing its wave manipulation capability. In an integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) scenario, ARIS can obtain the directions of communication terminals and autonomously manipulate the EM waves to optimize channel gain. An ARIS prototype is constructed, and its dual functionalities of sensing and wave manipulation were experimentally verified. The enhancement of channel quality provided by the ARIS has been experimentally validated in ISAC scenarios, highlighting its promising potential for future wireless communication systems.