Looking back at 2025-an overview of some iSEE-6G highlights!

March 19, 2026

iSEE-6G Newsletter – 2025 Progress Highlights

Year 2 Update – Towards Integrated Sensing, Communications and Energy in 6G

For iSEE-6G project, the second year has been marked by progress across multiple research objectives, supported by intensive simulation work, early-stage prototyping, and the consolidation of methodologies that will underpin the next phases of testing and experimentation. The following update summarizes the key developments achieved in 2025, reflecting the continued collaboration among partners and the alignment of activities with the project’s timeline.

Advances in Waveform Design and Co-Optimization for JCCSP

A major focus for 2025 has been the development and validation of waveform building blocks that can jointly support communication, sensing, and wireless power transfer. The project continues to analyze how existing waveform structures can be adapted to meet the dual requirements of sensing accuracy and communication reliability.

A dedicated simulation framework has been completed, allowing teams to compare waveform configurations across a wide range of scenarios. Building on the 5G OFDM waveform, researchers have evaluated several time-domain modifications that enable simultaneous wireless information and power transfer (SWIPT). This includes a new power peak position modulation scheme that improves energy transfer efficiency while preserving the communication link’s stability.

Parallel work has explored Orthogonal Time Frequency Space (OTFS) and single-carrier approaches. The OTFS toolbox developed by the consortium has already been used for early investigations of sensing-aware waveform structures, supporting the multi-objective design process that balances communication rates with sensing precision.

Initial steps have also been taken to integrate machine learning elements into the receiver chain to support enhanced interpretation of fused communication and sensing signals. These activities create a solid foundation for intelligent waveform adaptation, one of the long-term goals of the project.

Progress in UAV-Based Channel Modelling and Performance Analysis

Work has made substantial progress toward characterizing realistic communication and sensing channels for UAV-based deployments. Three complementary measurement systems have been integrated: CSI-based air–ground channels at FR1, SDR-based ISAC channel sounding at FR2, and UAV-mounted test equipment. Together, these enable a consistent assessment of environments relevant to the project’s aerial corridor use case.

The widely used QuaDRiGa model has been customized to incorporate UAV-specific propagation characteristics, including blockages, backscattering, mobility, and beam-squinting. These enhancements facilitate more accurate representation of near-field behaviour, which is essential when using large antenna arrays or RIS-assisted links.

Analysis software based on RIMAX has been developed to support dense multipath evaluation, statistical modelling, and parameter extraction. Reinforcement learning tools have also been applied, particularly for optimizing UAV trajectories in scenarios that combine communication, sensing, and wireless power transfer. In parallel, stochastic geometry methods have been used to evaluate UAV corridor performance under ISAC and energy-transfer constraints.

Key next steps include completing the measurement campaigns and publishing the resulting datasets, refining the models for integration, and preparing modelling guidance for the upcoming evaluations in.

Antenna Array and Intelligent Surface Design for UAV Corridors

The project has continued to investigate antenna architectures suitable for integrated communication and sensing in UAV corridors. The research spans UAV-mounted arrays, RIS/RHS panels, and terrestrial radio units, with the goal of providing the flexibility, scanning capabilities, and energy efficiency required for JCCSP operation.

For UAV antennas, work focuses on lightweight, highly integrated solutions capable of 3D beam scanning and hybrid beamforming. Different array topologies and element distributions are being examined to optimise scanning performance while respecting payload constraints. Additive manufacturing remains an option for reducing antenna weight and supporting complex geometries.

Figure 1: Cylindrical antenna array configurations for deployment in different use case scenarios

On the infrastructure side, new RIS/HRS concepts are being explored to support reconfigurability and system-level adaptability. This includes the development of meta-atom designs with tunable elements using PIN diodes or varactors, and the early definition of control mechanisms for environmental scanning and power-transfer support.

These elements will feed into system-level evaluations and will form the basis of prototype testing in the project’s lab facilities.

System-Level Study of Multiple-Access Techniques and Cell-Free JCCSP

Work on non-orthogonal multiple-access (NOMA), rate-splitting multiple access (RSMA) and cell-free O-RAN configurations begins in the second half of Year 2. Although significant technical work on these tasks is scheduled from M18 onwards, the project has already developed a strong mathematical foundation for modelling multiple-access-assisted JCCSP networks.

Several peer-reviewed publications have explored stochastic geometry frameworks for UAV-assisted networks, sensing-assisted communication, RF-powered IoT, and integrated sensing-communication scenarios. These contributions form an important knowledge base for the system-level evaluations planned for 2026.

With QuaDRiGa now extended to model ISAC and 6G cell-free environments, large-scale simulations can begin in parallel with the development of new multi-access schemes tailored to JCCSP operation.

Progress on Integrated Energy Transfer and SWIPT Optimization

Research on integrated wireless power transfer has advanced on several fronts. The team has introduced new mathematical models for rectifying circuits and evaluated their performance in mixed communication and power-transfer scenarios, as illustrated in Figure 1. These models enable more accurate prediction of receiver behaviour, particularly for low-power IoT devices and UAV payload constraints.

Simulation work has also explored SWIPT performance in large-scale networks with interference cancellation, as well as the synergy between power transfer and vehicular communication systems. As depicted in Figure 2, preliminary waveform designs optimized for energy harvesting—including OFDM-SWIPT—have been evaluated for potential use within the iSEE-6G scenario.

Looking ahead, efforts will focus on UAV trajectory optimization for power-delivery missions, integration of measurement-based channel models, and joint scheduling and precoding strategies that address power, communication, and sensing simultaneously.

Figure 1: The half-wave rectifier and its equivalent circuit used for SWIPT.

Figure 2: Configuration of a point-to-point SWIPT network with OFDM-based waveforms

Towards Intelligent Wireless Edge Caching for JCCSP

Edge caching activities have continued to mature during the second project year. The team has expanded the system model for JCCSP-as-a-Service, including coded caching and adaptive content placement strategies. Early simulations indicate potential reductions in latency and improved throughput, with promising applications for public safety and mission-critical communications.

The integration of AI-based prediction mechanisms and MEC functionality marks an important step toward enabling proactive content distribution, particularly in highly dynamic environments such as UAV corridors. As simulations scale up, the objective is to evaluate caching under realistic mobility conditions and prepare the integration of caching functions into the WP6 testbeds.

Outlook for 2026

As project Year 3 approaches, the project is preparing for intensified system integration, model consolidation, and lab/PoCs-based validation. The consolidated progress from 2025 provides a strong technical grounding for the PoC preparations and the collaborative evaluations planned in 2026. The next year will mark a transition from analytical foundations to experimental validation, bringing iSEE-6G closer to demonstrating integrated communication, sensing and power transfer across realistic 6G environments.