In Germany, the publicly-funded 6G-ICAS4Mobility (6G Integrated Communication & Sensing for Mobility) project aims to more closely interconnect the communication and sensing systems (ICAS), which currently run separately, and to integrate them into a single 6G system. Over the next three years, the project will develop crucial foundations of the future 6G standard. The Bosch-led consortium of universities, automotive suppliers, communication and radar specialists, and drone providers has begun its research.

Depending on the nature of the integration, sensor systems of different vehicles can cooperate with each other, exchange sensor data and jointly generate a much more accurate image of the environment than a single vehicle can.

With the same radio signal, both data can be transmitted and the environment can be perceived, which leads to a very efficient use of the scarce radio spectrum. Particularly attractive for this is the use of the direct connection between two vehicles (sidelink communication), as this can also be used independently of the existing mobile phone infrastructure. In this way, safe autonomous driving can also be achieved in regions with poor mobile communications in the future.

The aim of 6G-ICAS4Mobility is to develop a holistic system architecture for ICAS that enables the integration of sensors and communication into sidelink communication between vehicles. Since the mobility sector is very safety-critical, special attention is paid to aspects of IT, operational and reliability.

Different integration levels of communication and sensors are to be implemented and new concepts for imaging based on distributed sensors are to be investigated. Finally, it is planned to implement the new concepts in a practical way in the form of four demonstration scenarios. These include both the application of ICAS for road vehicles and aircraft drones.

The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research is providing €10 million to the project—70% of the €14.23 million total project costs.

6G research is gaining momentum around the world. The German government alone is investing €700 million in this direction until 2025; the EU has budgeted another €900 million for 2021 through 2027. Experts predict that the first 6G standard will be completed by about 2028.

The project partners:

• Robert Bosch GmbH
• Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute
• IMST GmbH
• NXP Semiconductors Germany GmbH
• Ulm University
• FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg
• TU Kaiserslautern
• TU Ilmenau
• Missing Link Electronics GmbH
• CiS GmbH
• AeroDCS GmbH
• Barkhausen Institut gGmbh
• Hensold Sensors GmbH
• Merantix Momentum (Merantix Labs GmbH)
• Denso Automotive Deutschland GmbH