UAV Communication Aided by Intelligent Reflective Surfaces- A Performance Analysis in the Context of Industry 4.0

Industry 4.0 enables the digital transformation of manufacturing and production industries through the integration of technologies, including cyber-physical systems, robotics, data analytics, and information and communication technologies. The provision of ultra-reliable low-latency wireless connectivity is vital for the uninterrupted operation of the underlying technologies and systems in smart factory settings. The harsh propagation environment within a smart factory due to a large number of scatters and obstacles represents significant challenges to reliable connectivity, high data rate, and low latency requirements. This paper presents a wireless communication solution enabled by unmanned aerial vehicles and intelligent reflecting surfaces for catering to the wireless communication needs of smart factories. The simulation results show the comparison of indoor and outdoor deployment of intelligent reflecting surfaces. Furthermore, a relation of cross-sectional area of reflecting surface to required bandwidth is shown graphically.