The concept of Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC) is a cornerstone of the upcoming Sixth-Generation (6G) wireless networks. However, current centralized architectures struggle to meet the demands of scalable, multi-modal perception in complex environments. This paper focuses on the recently proposed Distributed Intelligent Sensing and Communication (DISAC) framework, including the final architecture of the project that pushes intelligence to the network edge. Key novel components of this architecture include: (i) a novel semantic plane that enables goal-oriented, context-aware data fusion across heterogeneous sensing modalities; and (ii) distributed orchestration protocols that seamlessly coordinate diverse network elements, including User Equipments (UEs), base stations, and, potentially multi-functional, Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RISs). Preliminary experimental results are proposed in the orchestration framework for distributed devices: a RIS-aided distributed sensing methodology for dynamic network resource balancing; and a link-level experiment demonstrating over-the-air distributed computation capabilities. Finally, the plan to validate the 6G-DISAC framework through a proof-of-concept demonstrator is discussed: a system-level assisted parking scenario that intelligently fuses radar, LiDAR, and camera datasets for autonomous navigation.
Costanzo et al. (Tue,) studied this question.