SICIS · Secure Indoor Communication empowered by Intelligent reflecting Surface

Due to the broadcast nature of transmission in the air, wireless communications are particularly vulnerable to security threats. Being an emerging wireless communication technology, intelligent reflecting surface (IRS) is able to achieve fine-grained passive reflect beamforming to constructively enhance the desired signal power at legitimate users and destructively deteriorate the reception at eavesdroppers. Therefore, IRS represents an excellent opportunity to enhance the secrecy performance of wireless communications in indoor environments, where over 80% of wireless traffic takes place. In order to achieve the full potential of IRS for secure indoor communications, breakthroughs in the fundamental theory and key techniques for IRS-aided secure indoor communications are urgently needed, including 1) channel estimation and MIMO channel modelling for indoor environments in presence of IRS; 2) joint beamforming design at both transmit antennas and IRS to maximise the secrecy performance; and 3) performance evaluation and optimisation of key parameters of IRS for secure indoor communications at a system level. In this project, we aim to make breakthroughs in these directions and bring the benefits of secure indoor wireless communications empowered by IRS to billions of users (people and things).