ABSTRACT Reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) and integrated sensing and communications (ISAC) are two advanced technologies in the field of communications. However, existing RIS‐based ISAC rely on complex algorithms and architectures, leading to high pilot overhead, prohibitive costs, mutual interference, deployment difficulties, and high power consumption. To address these challenges, we propose a system that combines RIS and radio‐frequency identification (RFID) to achieve ISAC. The system consists of 2‐bit RIS and RFID components that collaboratively operate without interference. The RFID reader captures and analyzes RF beacon signals scattered from user tags for real‐time position tracking. The sensed position information is then utilized by the RIS to improve communication quality between the base station and users. Experimental results show that the system maintains stable performance even in complex environments. Moreover, RFID eliminates the need for external programmable controllers, thereby removing requirements for additional power sources and wired connections. The maximum power consumption of the system is only 7 mW, enabling coin batteries on the RIS tags to sustain its operation for at least twenty days. This nearly‐passive system provides a reliable, tailless, and cost‐effective solution for ISAC, holding significant application potential in smart factories, smart homes, Internet of Things (IoT), and future communications.
Wang et al. (Mon,) studied this question.