Programmable topological metasurface unites sensing and communication in one platform

Researchers have demonstrated a programmable topological metasurface that can switch between two fundamentally different electromagnetic states, allowing a single platform to perform both human-position sensing and wireless communication. The work, led by Professor Tie Jun Cui of the State Key Laboratory of Millimeter Waves at Southeast University, China, and Professor Din Ping Tsai of the Department of Electrical Engineering at City University of Hong Kong, is published in Light: Science & Applications.

Integrated sensing and communication, known as ISAC, is regarded as a key capability for future intelligent electromagnetic systems. Future wireless networks are expected not only to transmit information but also to perceive and understand their surrounding environment. However, conventional ISAC architectures often rely on separate sensing and communication modules, which increases hardware complexity, power consumption and system cost. Achieving multiple electromagnetic functions on a unified platform has remained a major challenge.

The new system addresses this challenge with a metasurface controlled by a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). The device can dynamically switch between nontrivial and trivial electromagnetic states. In the nontrivial state, robust topological surface waves are guided along programmable domain-wall channels, which are realized through symmetry-broken valley-Hall configurations, to collect multidimensional electromagnetic signatures associated with different human positions.

These collected data are then processed by a convolutional neural network to achieve high-accuracy position recognition. Once the target position has been identified, the metasurface is reconfigured into a trivial radiative state, realized through radiative phase-coding configurations, where it manipulates spatial electromagnetic waves to establish directional wireless communication links.

According to the researchers, experimental results demonstrate a positioning accuracy exceeding 99 percent while simultaneously supporting reliable wireless information transmission. The transition between sensing and communication is achieved entirely through electronic reconfiguration, without mechanical movement or additional hardware subsystems.

“We introduce a programmable topological metasurface that can switch between nontrivial and trivial electromagnetic states in real-time. This allows the same platform to perform two fundamentally different functions: topological surface-wave sensing and spatial-wave communication,” the scientists said.

“Topological electromagnetic states are usually studied for their robust wave-guiding properties. Here, we show that programmable topology can also serve as a system-level resource for integrated sensing and communication,” they added. This observation reframes topological phase reconfiguration, previously valued mainly for its wave-guiding behaviour, as a practical design resource for multifunctional electromagnetic platforms.

“By combining programmable metasurfaces, topological physics, and machine learning, the proposed platform provides a new route toward multifunctional electromagnetic systems for future intelligent wireless environments,” the team explained. The combination of an FPGA-controlled reconfigurable surface, topological domain-wall channels and neural-network data processing is what allows the same hardware to collect sensing data and then redirect its operation toward communication.

Looking ahead, the researchers forecast that the reported approach may find applications in future 6G networks, intelligent sensing systems, autonomous platforms and adaptive electromagnetic environments, where sensing and communication are expected to operate in a deeply integrated manner. The work establishes topological phase reconfiguration as a new route toward multifunctional electromagnetic systems, in which a single reconfigurable platform replaces the separate sensing and communication hardware that conventional architectures require.

Subject of Research: A programmable topological metasurface that reconfigures between topological surface-wave sensing and spatial-wave communication within a single platform.

Article Title: Trivial-nontrivial programmable topological metasurfaces for sensing and communication

Article References: Trivial-nontrivial programmable topological metasurfaces for sensing and communication. Original publication (Bibliographic details unavailable.)

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: Not provided

Keywords: programmable metasurface, topological metasurface, integrated sensing and communication, ISAC, surface waves, wireless communication, FPGA, convolutional neural network, valley-Hall domain wall, 6G, electromagnetic sensing, Light: Science & Applications