<p>For decades, InterDigital innovation has laid the foundation for how we connect, and is today shaping the future of 6G. Representing an entirely new way to communicate and react to the world around us, Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC) is a transformative technology that merges sensing and communication capabilities into a unified framework. By combining wireless communication and environmental sensing, ISAC unlocks new intelligent, hyper-aware services.</p>
<p>InterDigital has been instrumental in shaping the 6G vision, including through our leadership in ISAC innovation and standardization. Alain Mourad, Head of InterDigital's Wireless Lab Europe, was elected Chair of the ETSI Industry Specification Group on ISAC, which defines use cases, technical requirements, system architecture, and enabling technologies to bolster ISAC's adoption.</p>
<p>Explored in depth in a recent first ETSI ISAC group report on use cases and requirements, the benefits of ISAC range from improving network operational efficiency to enhanced real-time decision-making for third-party applications and 6G networks themselves. The report outlined an array of ISAC use cases across public safety, media, industrial automation, and transportation applications, including InterDigital's contributions to use cases leveraging digital twinning, advanced unmanned aerial devices (UAVs), and autonomous vehicles.</p>
<p>ISAC's unification of radar-like sensing and wireless communication within a single system is poised to revolutionize connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs), enhancing their efficiency, safety, and adaptability. This integration allows vehicles to not only exchange data but also perceive their surroundings using the same hardware and spectrum resources at scale, representing more efficient spectrum utilization and reduced hardware complexity.</p>
<h3>Benefits for Connected Vehicles</h3>
<ol style="list-style-type: decimal !important; margin-left: 20px !important;">
<li style="display: list-item !important; list-style-type: decimal !important;"><strong>Enhanced Situational Awareness:</strong> ISAC enables vehicles to detect and interpret the environment more accurately, facilitating real-time decision-making and improved navigation.</li>
<li style="display: list-item !important; list-style-type: decimal !important;"><strong>Improved Safety:</strong> By providing precise information about nearby objects and potential hazards, ISAC contributes to proactive safety measures, reducing the likelihood of accidents.</li>
<li style="display: list-item !important; list-style-type: decimal !important;"><strong>Efficient Communication:</strong> The integration of sensing and communication streamlines data exchange processes, leading to lower latency and higher reliability in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) interactions.</li>
<li style="display: list-item !important; list-style-type: decimal !important;"><strong>Reduced Hardware Requirements:</strong> Combining sensing and communication functions minimizes the need for separate systems, leading to cost savings and simplified vehicle designs.</li>
</ol>
<h3>ISAC for Automotive: Enabling Safer, Smarter Mobility</h3>
<p>ISAC is poised to enhance vehicle capabilities by merging sensing capabilities—such as radar, LiDAR, cameras, and ultrasonic sensors, with network sensing and advanced V2X (vehicle-to-everything) communication. This fusion supports enhanced situational awareness, increased safety, and improved autonomous operation. These capabilities are enabled by a unified network that supports both sensing and communication—a vision explored in detail in the ISAC group report.</p>
<p>In addition to strengthening advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) for autonomous vehicles by enhancing object detection and tracking, ISAC could be leveraged for automated valet parking or parking lot management by empowering vehicles to detect and navigate available spaces without human input. Alternatively, ISAC could improve safety in complex environments, where ISAC-enabled vehicles can share real-time sensing data to optimize traffic flow, reduce travel times, and quickly address incidents. ISAC also has critical benefits for non-vehicles, namely vulnerable road user (VRU) detection, which helps vehicles more effectively identify and respond to pedestrians, cyclists, and other roadside individuals.</p>
<p>These use cases illustrate how ISAC supports increased autonomy, efficient navigation, and shared sensor infrastructure, leading to reduced costs and increased system reliability.</p>
<h3>Looking Ahead</h3>
<p>As we build a bridge to 6G, ISAC is set to play a critical role in shaping the capabilities of our networks and devices, including our connected vehicles. By enabling more intelligent, responsive, and efficient vehicles and transportation systems, ISAC not only enhances the driving experience but also delivers benefits tied to lower emissions, increased efficiency, improved safety, and reduced traffic congestion.</p>
<p>InterDigital's leadership in this domain is coupled with collaborative industry efforts that are critical to realizing the full potential of ISAC. Through continued research, innovation, and contributions to standards and pre-standards bodies, ISAC has a clear path to be a key driver for 6G.</p>
<p>Learn more in this forthcoming <a href="https://www.etsi.org/events/upcoming-events/2531-6gisac-webinar">ETSI webinar here</a>.</p>