Communication by Sensing Through Space-Time RISs: a Vehicular Scenario Application
Mattia Giovanni Polisano, Marouan Mizmizi, Stefano Tebaldini, Umberto Spagnolini · 2025
This paper presents a novel framework for integrating communication capabilities into a sensing system through backscattering modulation. By leveraging a Space-Time Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (ST-RIS) to manipulate backscattered signals, the proposed approach embeds communication within the sensing echo, enabling data transmission while reusing Frequency Modulated Continuous Waveform (FMCW) radar signals. This method introduces communication functionality without requiring dedicated transceivers and involves only minimal modifications to conventional radar processing for dual-function radarcommunication (DFRC). To ensure the seamless coexistence of sensing and communication, we propose a practical methodology for implementing a Communication by Sensing (CBS) system, effectively separating the two signal types to prevent mutual degradation. An experimental proof of concept (PoC) further validates the feasibility of backscatter-based communication within a radar system, demonstrating the practicality and effectiveness of the proposed approach.