Collaborative Research: VINES: Track 1: Tri-Hybrid Optimization and Reconfiguration (THOR) for Extreme MIMO Systems

This collaborative project brings together researchers from the MITRE Corporation and the University of California San Diego to design future wireless networks to provide better, faster, and more efficient cellular service. To do this, future cell towers will need to use hundreds of antennas working together. While that can improve service, it also means more electricity is needed to power all those antennas. This project investigates a new antenna type that can adapt how it sends and receives signals to fit the environment and users around it. More precisely, the project, Tri-Hybrid Optimization and Reconfiguration (THOR), develops tri-hybrid arrays combined with online reconfiguration algorithms for optimizing extreme multiple input multiple output systems. The work is organized around three research vectors focused on the fundamental tradeoffs between capacity and energy efficiency, online reconfiguration, and AI-native channel state information feedback. Each vector is developed in simulation and evaluated via prototype testbeds and digital twins. The capstone of the project is a manufactured and lab-deployed tri-hybrid array equipped with the novel algorithms and serving mobile users in the network. This project builds a path toward sustainable and scalable wireless infrastructure for 6G cellular systems and beyond. Efficient antenna arrays can reduce network operating costs and energy use while supporting new verticals in wearable devices and autonomous vehicles with improved support for emergency response and critical communications. In addition to the applications of the research, the project will train undergraduate and graduate students in wireless communications, array signal processing, reconfigurable antennas, and artificial intelligence for communications. New educational material based upon the research will be used to update university courses and laboratory modules. In addition, internships and joint projects will expose students to applied research for government and industry challenges. Software, data, preprints, tutorials, and technical reports will be shared through public and institutional channels. Engagement with industry, government stakeholders, and standards communities will help move results from research into practice and strengthen United States leadership in advanced wireless technology. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.