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Movable Antenna for Wireless Communications:Prototyping and Experimental Results

Zhenjun Dong, Zhiwen Zhou, Zhiqiang Xiao, Chaoyue Zhang, Xinrui Li, Hongqi Min, Yong Zeng, Shi Jin, Rui Zhang

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a practical movable antenna (MA) prototype validated at 3.5 GHz and 27.5 GHz, showing that controlled 3D movement of a receive antenna along a 2D plane yields large channel-power gains by exploiting multipath diversity. It introduces a field-response based MA model and a PSI framework to capture path count, delays, and AoAs, and implements a feedback-driven measurement workflow using USRP hardware and a high-precision slide track. Experimental results reveal significant power variations (over 40 dB at 3.5 GHz and over 23 dB at 27.5 GHz) and confirm alignment with simulated gains based on estimated channel parameters, underscoring the MA’s potential for spatial performance gains. The study also proposes a movement strategy that combines channel sounding for rough positioning with fine measurements for precision positioning, enabling practical deployment of MA-enabled wireless links with substantial real-world impact.

Abstract

Movable antenna (MA), which can flexibly change the position of antenna in three-dimensional (3D) continuous space, is an emerging technology for achieving full spatial performance gains. In this paper, a prototype of MA communication system with ultra-accurate movement control is presented to verify the performance gain of MA in practical environments. The prototype utilizes the feedback control to ensure that each power measurement is performed after the MA moves to a designated position. The system operates at 3.5 GHz or 27.5 GHz, where the MA moves along a one-dimensional horizontal line with a step size of 0.01λ and in a two-dimensional square region with a step size of 0.05λ, respectively, with λ denoting the signal wavelength. The scenario with mixed line-of-sight (LoS) and non-LoS (NLoS) links is considered. Extensive experimental results are obtained with the designed prototype and compared with the simulation results, which validate the great potential of MA technology in improving wireless communication performance. For example, the maximum variation of measured power reaches over 40 dB and 23 dB at 3.5 GHz and 27.5 GHz, respectively, thanks to the flexible antenna movement. In addition, experimental results indicate that the power gain of MA system relies on the estimated path state information (PSI), including the number of paths, their delays, elevation and azimuth angles of arrival (AoAs), as well as the power ratio of each path.

Movable Antenna for Wireless Communications:Prototyping and Experimental Results

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a practical movable antenna (MA) prototype validated at 3.5 GHz and 27.5 GHz, showing that controlled 3D movement of a receive antenna along a 2D plane yields large channel-power gains by exploiting multipath diversity. It introduces a field-response based MA model and a PSI framework to capture path count, delays, and AoAs, and implements a feedback-driven measurement workflow using USRP hardware and a high-precision slide track. Experimental results reveal significant power variations (over 40 dB at 3.5 GHz and over 23 dB at 27.5 GHz) and confirm alignment with simulated gains based on estimated channel parameters, underscoring the MA’s potential for spatial performance gains. The study also proposes a movement strategy that combines channel sounding for rough positioning with fine measurements for precision positioning, enabling practical deployment of MA-enabled wireless links with substantial real-world impact.

Abstract

Movable antenna (MA), which can flexibly change the position of antenna in three-dimensional (3D) continuous space, is an emerging technology for achieving full spatial performance gains. In this paper, a prototype of MA communication system with ultra-accurate movement control is presented to verify the performance gain of MA in practical environments. The prototype utilizes the feedback control to ensure that each power measurement is performed after the MA moves to a designated position. The system operates at 3.5 GHz or 27.5 GHz, where the MA moves along a one-dimensional horizontal line with a step size of 0.01λ and in a two-dimensional square region with a step size of 0.05λ, respectively, with λ denoting the signal wavelength. The scenario with mixed line-of-sight (LoS) and non-LoS (NLoS) links is considered. Extensive experimental results are obtained with the designed prototype and compared with the simulation results, which validate the great potential of MA technology in improving wireless communication performance. For example, the maximum variation of measured power reaches over 40 dB and 23 dB at 3.5 GHz and 27.5 GHz, respectively, thanks to the flexible antenna movement. In addition, experimental results indicate that the power gain of MA system relies on the estimated path state information (PSI), including the number of paths, their delays, elevation and azimuth angles of arrival (AoAs), as well as the power ratio of each path.
Paper Structure (18 sections, 25 equations, 13 figures, 3 tables)

This paper contains 18 sections, 25 equations, 13 figures, 3 tables.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. system model
  3. Prototyping of MA Wireless Communication
  4. Prototype Architecture
  5. Hardware Equipment
  6. USRP
  7. mmPSA
  8. mmWave up-converter
  9. High-precision slide track
  10. Program Design
  11. Measurement Scenario
  12. DATA PROCESSING
  13. Data Processing for Power Measurement
  14. Estimation of Channel Parameters
  15. Experimental and simulation results
  16. ...and 3 more sections

Figures (13)

  • Figure 1: Illustration of the MA communication system.
  • Figure 2: Architecture of the developed prototype for MA wireless communication.
  • Figure 3: Transmitting and receiving antennas at different carrier frequencies (a) transmitting antenna (top) and receiving antenna (bottom) at 27.5 GHz, (b) transmitting/receiving antenna at 3.5 GHz.
  • Figure 4: Program design of the MA communication system prototype.
  • Figure 5: Measurement scenario of MA communication system prototype.
  • ...and 8 more figures