Using reconfigurable intelligent surfaces to reduce electro-magnetic fields exposure

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The deployment of the 5th-generation cellular networks (5G) has triggered health concerns from the electric and magnetic fields (EMF) exposure. Such fear increases for networks that adopt higher frequency bands such as millimeter-waves.

A solution has been proposed by a master's student Hussam Ibraiwish, Prof. Ahmed Elzanaty, Prof. Yazan Al-Badarneh, and Prof. Mohamed-Slim Alouini to address the widespread public concern about EMF exposure from mobile networks.

"The idea is to consider a novel architecture for the cellular network rather than just optimizing what we already have," says Elzanaty. He adds, "considering a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) that is able to direct the users' signals toward the base station can significantly enhance the performance and reduce the exposure to EMF."

"The proposed algorithm achieved a 20% reduction in EMF exposure compared to the schemes without RIS. Also, It achieved higher data rates, even for harsh channel conditions," Ibraiwish emphasizes.

More information can be found in the companion video given below and the paper:  

H. Iprawish, A. Elzenaty, Y. Al-Badarneh, and M. -S. Alouini, "EMF-aware cellular networks in RIS-assisted environments ", IEEE Communication Letters, Accepted for publication 2021. 

Available in early access at:https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=9576730