Integrated Sensing and Backscatter Communication: Toward Self-Sustainable Autonomous Internet of Things Networks
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Backscatter communication has emerged as a promising enabler for battery-free and low-complexity Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and advances in radar sensing and millimeter-wave (mm-wave) systems have expanded its capabilities beyond identification toward localization, monitoring, and environmental awareness. More recently, these trends have converged into integrated sensing and backscatter communication (ISABC), where the same reflected waveform supports both data transmission and sensing. This article reviews the foundations and recent progress of ISABC, with emphasis on frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) radar-based implementations, which is meaningful to clarify how range estimation, tag identification, and data transfer can be jointly realized within a unified passive architecture. The article highlights both the opportunities and current limitations of ISABC and argues that future systems will evolve toward spatially aware, waveform-coordinated, and electromagnetically engineered backscatter platforms for battery-free sensing and 6G integrated wireless intelligence.
Source: IEEE Microwave Magazine
Language: English
Subfield: Aerospace Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7203945702