In the PIONEER_6G focus of the Next Generation City Networking (NGCN[1] ) project funded by the German Federal Ministry of Transport (BMV[2]), an interdisciplinary team from Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH) with the Institutes of High-Frequency Technology, Communications Engineering, Theoretical Electrical Engineering, Communication Networks and Ethics, HafenCity University Hamburg (HCU), the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI), and other partners is researching a novel basic technology that brings mobility, urban planning, and digitization together on a common platform. The project is being carried out as part of the Hanseatic Wireless Innovation Competence Center (HAWICC[3] ), the Hamburg location of the German Center for Future Mobility (DZM[4]).
The vision
In urban areas in particular, a large proportion of private transport in the future will be automated or even autonomous. But will stop-and-go traffic and long traffic jams finally be a thing of the past? No! Even autonomous vehicles can only perceive a limited environment and behave similarly to human drivers. This is where so-called Car2Car communication can help.
However, in urban environments in particular, the mass of vehicles will distribute a flood of information via mobile communication signals, which each individual vehicle will have to sort and check for relevance to its own driving decisions. This cannot be implemented efficiently. A better solution would be a small-scale, higher-level control system that collects all information, enriches it with data from the wider environment, such as traffic jam reports, expected traffic flow during sporting events, etc., and distributes individual driving instructions to each vehicle via mobile communication. If these local cells were arranged across the city, traffic flow could be optimized according to any criteria, such as minimum travel time and energy consumption.
However, the current sticking point here is also the mobile communications infrastructure. Even in urban environments, there are dead spots due to environmental effects, which significantly compromise safety for such an application. This is where PIONEER_6G comes in, researching a new approach to extremely reliable and fast mobile communications for the urban mobility of tomorrow.
From 5G to 6G – more than just higher data rates
PIONEER_6G uses this principle to implement electromagnetic wave field synthesis – previously known from acoustics – for radio applications for the first time. In this process, electromagnetic fields are controlled in such a way that they overlap at specific locations, creating targeted "sweet spots" with maximum signal quality for communication and localization. The result: pinpoint-accurate, adaptive radio connections with minimal energy consumption.
Real-world laboratory in Hamburg: the city as a test environment
The technological vision is being tested in a Hamburg living-lab. A hybrid test network is to be set up here, consisting of a 5G campus network with positioning function and the new PIONEER_6G system.
The combination of both systems creates a flexible communication network that integrates both stationary and mobile sensors – from vehicles and drones to urban infrastructure such as traffic lights and electric charging stations. In the future, this infrastructure will not only be able to transport data, but also "recognize" its surroundings and react to changes.
Artificial intelligence meets electromagnetics
A special feature of PIONEER_6G is the combination of AI-supported modeling and communications systems development. Machine learning methods are used to model the radio field in the real environment, such as a street with all its building facades, trees, street lights, and much more, in order to dynamically adjust the radio signals to movements and obstacles. This enables the network to optimize its radiation characteristics independently – a decisive step toward learning communication systems.
Key technology for smart cities and sustainable mobility
The concept has far-reaching implications:
- For urban mobility, it provides the basis for automated and safe driving, especially in complex environments such as intersections or bus stops.
- In smart city applications, PIONEER_6G can connect millions of IoT nodes and control them in an energy-efficient manner.
- In conjunction with other topics within the NGCN project, SUMO_15 (the city of time-optimized routes) and EMERGENCY (innovative technologies for the urban rescue chain), networked systems are being created that can share information in real time in emergencies or respond preventively to risks.
Vision beyond the project
With PIONEER_6G, Hamburg is positioning itself as a pioneer in the research of future communication systems. The technology promises not only economic potential through new digital services and infrastructures, but also social benefits through greater security, sustainability, and resilience.
Prof. Alexander Kölpin
Hamburg University of Technology
Institute for High Frequency Technology
Phone: 040 30601-3019
alexander.koelpin(at)tuhh(dot)de
[1] www.bmv.de/SharedDocs/DE/Artikel/G/dzm-hamburg-ngcn.html
[3] www.hcu-hamburg.de/research/forschungsprojekte/hawicc-hanseatic-wireless-innovation-competence-center
[4] www.bmv.de/DE/Themen/Mobilitaet/Klimaschutz-im-Verkehr/Deutsches-Zentrum-Mobilitaet-der-Zukunft/deutsches-zentrum-mobilitaet-der-zukunft.html
