LiFi Through Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces: A New Frontier for 6G?

TL;DR

This paper explores the integration of reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS) with LiFi technology, aiming to enhance 6G wireless systems by mitigating line-of-sight issues and enabling advanced network interactions.

Contribution

It provides the first comprehensive overview of RIS-assisted LiFi systems, including architecture, potential applications, and future challenges in the context of 6G.

Findings

RIS can mitigate LiFi line-of-sight blockages

RIS-enabled environments enable complex network interactions

The paper outlines future research directions for RIS-LiFi integration

Abstract

Light fidelity (LiFi), which is based on visible light communications (VLC), is celebrated as a cutting-edge technological paradigm that is envisioned to be an indispensable part of 6G systems. Nonetheless, LiFi performance is subject to efficiently overcoming the line-of-sight blockage, whose adverse effect on wireless reception reliability becomes even more pronounced in highly dynamic environments, such as vehicular application scenarios. Meanwhile, reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS) emerged recently as a revolutionary concept that transfers the physical propagation environment into a fully controllable and customisable space in a low-cost low-power fashion. We anticipate that the integration of RIS in LiFi-enabled networks will not only support blockage mitigation but will also provision complex interactions among network entities, and is hence manifested as a promising platform that enables a plethora of technological trends and new applications. In this article, for the first time in the open literature, we set the scene for a holistic overview of RIS-assisted LiFi systems. Specifically, we explore the underlying RIS architecture from the perspective of physics and present a forward-looking vision that outlines potential operational elements supported by RIS-enabled transceivers and RIS-enabled environments. Finally, we highlight major associated challenges and offer a look ahead toward promising future directions.