The IEEE Radio Communications Committee launches a series of online seminars from July 2021, which will give great opportunities to learn the recent outcomes on trending topics from outstanding researchers. The duration of each seminar is 35-40 minutes plus Q&A.

The IEEE RCC Special Interest Group on Terahertz Communications (RCC-SIG THz) also launched a series of online seminars focused on Terahertz Communications. For more information please visit the RCC-SIG THz website.

IEEE ComSoc RCC Seminar 1

Speaker: Prof. Mark F. Flanagan (University College Dublin)
Title: Optimization of the Achievable Rate for MIMO Systems Assisted by Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces
Abstract: Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) represent a new technology that can shape the radio wave propagation in wireless networks and offers a variety of potential performance and implementation gains. In this talk, we will present some recent results on the optimization of the achievable rate for MIMO systems assisted by RISs. We will show that in this setting, optimization via the projected gradient method (PGM) can achieve the same achievable rate as alternating optimization (AO), but with a significantly lower computational complexity. We introduce a new metric which can serve as a first-order measure of the applicability of an RIS in a MIMO communication scenario. In addition, we demonstrate that the deployment of an RIS is particularly suitable to increase the achievable rate in indoor environments, as even a relatively small number of RIS elements can provide a substantial achievable rate gain. The talk will also cover the optimization of the achievable sum-rate for RIS-assisted multiuser MIMO communications, as well as rate optimization for the case of discrete signaling (finite-sized constellation) at the transmitter.
When: July 8, 2021, at 11am Eastern Time (4pm London time and 11pm CST).

Slides are available at this link.

IEEE ComSoc RCC Seminar 2

Speaker: Prof. Emil Björnson (KTH & Linköping University)
Title: Wireless Communications with Physically Large Antenna Arrays
Abstract: The early 5G deployments are almost exclusively based on “Massive MIMO” technology, where each base station has an array with many antenna-integrated radios. This is a great achievement for a technology concept that, ten years ago‚ was generally believed to be too bulky, overly power hungry, and only useful in niche scenarios. Despite the word “massive”, 5G base stations are physically small from the user’s viewpoint. What if we would build truly physically large antenna arrays in the future? In this plenary, we take a look at the benefits of such large antenna arrays can for future wireless communication systems. In particular, we will discover how the near-field effects experienced when using large arrays can be much different and more commonly occurring than the near-field effects of individual antennas. These new insights are useful when designing various future technologies, such as Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces and Holographic MIMO.
When: Oct. 1, 2021, at 7am Pacific Time (3pm in London, 10pm in Beijing).

IEEE ComSoc RCC Seminar 3

Speaker: Prof. Josep Jornet (Northeastern University)
Title: Terahertz Communications for 6G: How Far Are We?
Abstract: Terahertz (THz)-band (0.1–10 THz) communication is envisioned as a key wireless technology in 6G and beyond systems. In the last decade, the THz technology gap has been progressively closed through major advancements in electronic, photonic, and plasmonic technologies. In parallel, the propagation of THz signals has been studied through both physics-based and data-driven approaches, debunking some of the myths about the THz channel. Nevertheless, there are several communication and networking roadblocks that need to be overcome to unleash the spectrum above 100 GHz. In this talk, innovative recently-proposed solutions as well as still-remaining open challenges at the physical, link and network layers of THz communication systems will be presented. Specific topics include novel ultrabroadband waveforms designs that can not only overcome but leverage the distance-dependent bandwidth resulting from molecular absorption; intelligent reflecting surfaces able to engineer wavefronts in ways that in the past were only available to optical systems; new receiver initiated medium access control protocols for ultra-directional links coupled with expedited neighbor discovery strategies’ and cross-layer multi-hop relaying strategies. Moreover, a glimpse at state-of-the-art experimental platforms for THz communication networks will be provided.
When: July 5, 2022, at 11am EST (11am in New York, 4pm in London, 11pm in Beijing).

Slides are available at this link.

IEEE ComSoc RCC Seminar 4

Speaker: Prof. Qingqing Wu (Shanghai Jiao Tong University)
Title: Intelligent Reflecting Surface Empowered 6G Wireless Networks
Abstract: In this talk, we introduce a new wireless research paradigm by employing a massive number of low-cost passive reflecting elements with controllable phase, named intelligent reflecting surface (IRS), which is able to smartly change the wireless signal propagation to enable various functions such as beamforming and interference nulling/cancelation. We illustrate how to deploy IRSs in wireless networks and offer insights for a point-to-point system, multiuser SISO system, and multiuser MISO system. We also highlight important directions for future research.
When: July 16, 2024, at 9am EDT (9am in New York, 2pm in London, 9pm in Beijing).

Slides are available at this link.

IEEE ComSoc RCC Seminar 5

Speaker: Prof. Yuan Shen (Tsinghua University)
Title: Relative Localization for Multi-Robot Systems: Theory, Scheme, and Platform
Abstract: Exploring the relative positions is a key issue in emerging multi-robot applications, such as swarm UAVs and autonomous driving, where there is no sufficient infrastructure to provide the absolute position information. This talk will introduce our recent progress on the relative localization problem for multi-robot systems, including the theoretical framework, efficient scheme and experimental platform. First, we establish a theoretical framework to address the state estimation in relative localization, where we introduce the relative state error metric based on the concept of the equivalent state class and derive the performance bounds for arbitrary subsets of relative states. Second, we propose a signal-multiplexing network ranging protocol that minimizes the signal transmissions for measurements, together with a ranging algorithm that can mitigate the negative effect caused by clock drifts and mobility. We then develop a relative localization algorithm that leverages both intra- and inter-node measurements with coordinate reference alignment. Finally, we introduce our multi-robot platform where each node is equipped with home-built UWB arrays, and extensive real-world experiments validate that our scheme can deliver a flexible, scalable and accurate real-time localization capability for multi-robot systems.
When: August 8, 2024, at 9am EDT (9am in New York, 2pm in London, 9pm in Beijing).

Slides are available at this link.