Glasgow University research could enable the future of 6G networks

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A research team led by Glasgow University has developed a wireless communications antenna which could help deliver the ultra-fast and software-controlled 6G networks of the future.

University of Glasgow

The researchers developed a prototype digitally coded dynamic metasurface antenna (DMA), controlled through high-speed field-programmable gate array (FPGA).

The team’s DMA is the first in the world designed and demonstrated at the operating frequency of 60 GHz millimetre-wave (mmWave) band – the portion of the spectrum reserved by international law for use in industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) applications.

Researchers said that the antenna’s ability to operate in the higher mmWave band could enable it to become a key piece of hardware in the still-developing field of advanced beamforming metasurface antennas, and the future of 6G as a whole.

Specifically, the DMA could help 6G networks deliver ultra-fast data transfer with high reliability, ensuring high-quality service and connectivity, according to the Glasgow University researchers.

With this, the development could enable new applications including medical monitoring and care, improved integrated sensing and communications devices for autonomous vehicles like self-driving cars or drones, and holographic imaging for 3D models of people and objects projected in real-time.

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