INSTINCT - Pioneering 6G Connectivity Beyond Communication
The INSTINCT project aims to develop three complementary yet critical breakthrough technology pillars:
- sensing-assisted communication technologies
- intelligent surfaces, holographic radios and cell free systems
- co-design of sensing and communications based on Machine learning techniques.
Over the last 5 years or more, research in industry and academia has revolved around identifying critical scenarios for 6G connectivity and inventing powerful and cost/power efficient solutions. INSTINCT envisions to bring together advanced radar and sensing technologies, breakthrough intelligent material science and combined sensing and artificial (cyber-physical) intelligence into a unified framework and a coherent multifunction system concept. This project is set to enable sustainable, interactive, immersive, and intelligent communication that goes beyond traditional approaches with 13 partners from 5 different European countries.
Besides its role as project coordinator, the Barkhausen Institut (BI) is contributing to multiple aspects of this project:
- Developing a model for joint communication and sensing (JCAS) systems using reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS) and physical layer security concepts within the Trustworthy Physical Interfaces research area. This approach will be supported by measurement and modeling of sensing and communication, which will be embedded into the link level evaluator HermesPy of the BI.
- Advancing multiple input multiple output (MIMO) architectures for JCAS.
- Developing and integrating RIS into the models created by the BI and the partners.
All these approaches will be supported by JCAS and MIMO demonstration platforms of the BI, which will be showcased in technical conferences and summits.
The three technology pillars will result in two hardware and one software demonstrator, designed for the following 6G usage scenarios:
- Mobility: Localization, Tracking, Traffic management
- Environmental monitoring: localization and positioning, imaging, radio environment mapping, surveillance
- Internet of senses: Augmented human sensing, well-being monitoring, gaming user interfaces
Project duration: 1 January 2024 – 31 December 2026
Contact: Padmanava Sen (BI, Project Leader and INSTINCT coordinator)
Partners: Barkhausen Institut (BI), Aalto University, Bosch, CentreSupelec, Fraunhofer HHI, Greenerwave, i2CAT, Inria, INSA Lyon, NEC Laboratories Europe, The University of Oulu (UOLOU), University of Piraeus Research Center (UPRC), Telefónica Innovación Digital (TID), Telefónica Servicios Audiovisuales (TSA)
The project is supported by the SNS (Smart Networks and Services) JU and its members.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) onlyand do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or SNS JU. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.