Collaborative Research: VINES: Track 2: Active Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces Enabled Long-Range High-Capacity Wireless Transport for Next-Generation Smart Agriculture

Smart agriculture is undergoing a transformation driven by autonomous machinery, aerial imaging, and artificial intelligence. These applications demand high-capacity wireless connectivity across diverse, large farm operations. This project addresses the smart agricultural technology needs by developing and demonstrating a novel wireless transport system that uses active Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RIS) which are low-power, programmable antenna panels that amplify and steer radio signals. Combined with intelligent RIS-aware high-frequency multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) transceivers, this system can deliver tens of gigabits per second over long distances, even in conditions where the line of sight between transmitters and receivers is obstructed, e.g., by terrain, foliage, or structures. This project will validate the technology at North Carolina State University's NSF AERPAW (Aerial Experimentation and Research Platform for Advanced Wireless) outdoor testbed in an operational agricultural setting. Beyond agriculture, the system architecture provides flexible deployment and extends high-capacity wireless transport connectivity to other underserved rural communities, advancing national broadband access and economic opportunities. Through multi-university collaboration and industry partnerships, this project will train the next generation of engineers to tackle complex challenges at the intersection of wireless communications and smart agriculture. Ultimately, the open-source datasets and commercial pathways generated by this research will help bridge the rural digital divide and enhance the global competitiveness of American farming. The main goal of this project is to develop and demonstrate an active RIS-augmented wireless transport system capable of delivering multi-gigabit-per-second connectivity over kilometer-scale distances in both line-of-sight and obstructed rural environments. To achieve this goal, the project will integrate novel low-power active RIS hardware, optimization algorithms, and millimeter-wave (mmWave) transceiver platforms through several inter-related thrusts: (i) designing and fabricating active RIS modules, including custom CMOS-based RF power amplifiers and low-power RF switches, as well as sub-6 GHz access RIS panels for in-farm IoT coverage extension, (ii) developing a comprehensive RIS channel modeling and simulation framework as well as designing RIS-aware beamforming and placement optimization algorithms, (iii) developing adaptive, high-throughput RIS-aware endpoints/platform, including baseband PHY, MAC, and RF-PHY, (iv) integrating the active RIS subsystem with TeraSpatial's RIS-aware MIMO wireless transport platform to form a complete RIS-enhanced xHaul system, (v) conducting progressive field demonstrations at NCSU's AERPAW testbed at Lake Wheeler Road Field Laboratory, validating active RIS-assisted range and coverage extension, and establishing a pathway toward commercial and scalable deployment for smart agriculture and rural broadband connectivity. 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.