Resource Allocation for Two-Tier RIS-Assisted Heterogeneous NOMA Networks

Reconfigurable intelligent surface(RIS)as a promising technology has been proposed to change weak communication environ-ments.However,most of the current resource allocation(RA)schemes have focused on RIS-assisted homogeneous networks,and there is still no open works about RA schemes of RIS-assisted heterogeneous networks(HetNets).In this paper,we design an RA scheme for a RIS-assisted HetNet with non-orthogonal multiple access to improve spectrum efficiency and transmission rates.In particular,we jointly optimize the transmit power of the small-cell base station and the phase-shift matrix of the RIS to maximize the sum rates of all small-cell users,subject to the unit modulus constraint,the minimum signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio constraint,and the cross-tier interference constraint for protecting communication quality of microcell users.An efficient suboptimal RA scheme is proposed based on the alternating iteration ap-proach,and successive convex approximation and logarithmic transformation approach.Simulation results verify the effectiveness of the pro-posed scheme in terms of data rates.

Implementation of Caterpillar Inspired Rolling Gait and Nonlinear Control Strategy in a Spherical Robot

This paper presents a novel Central Pattern Generator （CPG） based rolling gait generation in a small-sized spherical robot and its nonlinear control mechanism. A rhythmic rolling pattern mimicking Pleurotya caterpillar is produced for the spherical robot locomotion. A synergetically combined feedforward-feedback control strategy is proposed. The feedforward component is generated from centrally connected network of CPGs in conjunction with nonlinear robot dynamics. Two nonlinear feedback control methods namely integral （first order） Sliding Mode Control （SMC） and High （or second） Order Sliding Mode Control （HOSMC） are proposed to regulate robot stability and gait robustness in the presence of matched parameter uncertainties and bounded external disturbances. Design, implementation and experimental evaluation of both roll gait control strategies for the spherical robot are done on smooth （indoor） and irregular （outdoor） ground surfaces, The performance of robot control is quantified by measuring the roll angle stability, phase plane convergence and wheel velocities. Experimental results show that proposed novel strategy is efficient in producing a stable rolling gait and robust control of a spherical robot on two different types of surfaces. It further shows that proposed high HOSMC strategy is more efficient in robust rolling gait control of a spherical robot compared to an integral first-order SMC on two different ground conditions.

Wireless communications empowered by reconfigurable intelligent surfaces: Model-based vs model-free channel estimation

Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces(RISs)are lately being attractive for their great potential in future sixth generation wireless communications(6G),which is attributed to their affordable energy consumption and easy integration.However,the large numbers of low-cost reflecting elements comprising RISs impose challenges for channel acquisition in various RIS-based wireless applications,such as RIS-enhanced orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing and multi-user multipleinput multiple-output systems.In this article,we first overview the state-of-the-art RIS hardware architectures designed to assist channel estimation for RIS-empowered wireless communication systems.We also overview existing channel estimation approaches,which are categorized into model-based and model-free techniques,and discuss their advantages and limitations depending on the RIS deployment.Design challenges with RIS-empowered systems in terms of hardware and other parameter limitations are presented,together with future research directions for channel estimation in RIS-based wireless systems,such as RISs with extremely large numbers of elements,multi-hop communications with RISs,and frequency division duplexing for high mobility systems.

Stepwise-Nanocavity-Assisted Transmissive Color Filter Array Microprints

Visible-light color flters using patterned nanostructures have attracted much interest due to their various advantages such as compactness,enhanced stability,and environmental friendliness compared with traditional pigment or dye-based optical flters.While most existing studies are based on planar nanostructures with lateral variation in size,shape,and arrangement,the vertical dimension of structures is a long-ignored degree of freedom for the structural colors.Herein,we demonstrate a synthetic platform for transmissive color flter array by coordinated manipulations between height-varying nanocavities and their lateral flling fractions.Te thickness variation of those nanocavities has been fully deployed as an alternative degree of freedom,yielding vivid colors with wide gamut and excellent saturation.Experimental results show that the color-rendering capability of the pixelated nanocavities can be still retained as pixels are miniaturized to 500 nm.Crosstalk between closely spaced pixels of a Bayer color flter arrangement was calculated,showing minimal crosstalk for 1μm2 square subpixels.Our work provides an approach to designing and fabricating ultracompact color flter arrays for various potential applications including stained-glass microprints,microspectrometers,and high-resolution image sensing systems.