Anchor-and-Connect: Robotic Aerial Base Stations Transforming 6G Infrastructure

TL;DR

The paper addresses the endurance limitation of aerial base stations in 6G networks by proposing Robotic Aerial Base Stations (RABS) that anchor to urban structures using energy-neutral end-effectors. It details hardware design, autonomous grasping workflows, wireless access/backhaul, and regulatory considerations, and compares RABS against hovering, tethered, and laser-powered ABS as well as terrestrial micro base stations through two case studies. Key findings show substantial energy efficiency gains, enhanced sensing at low altitudes, and flexible, on-demand network densification with resilience to weather and noise. This work demonstrates a viable path for integrating long-endurance aerial small cells into 6G NTN infrastructure, leveraging standardized interfaces and urban-perching strategies.

Abstract

Despite the significant attention that aerial base stations (ABSs) have received recently, their practical implementation is severely weakened by their limited endurance due to the battery constraints of drones. To overcome this fundamental limitation and barrier for wider adoption, we propose the concept of robotic aerial base stations (RABSs) that are equipped with energy-neutral anchoring end-effectors able to autonomously grasp or perch on tall urban landforms. Thanks to the energy-efficient anchoring operation, RABSs could offer seamless wireless connectivity for multiple hours compared to minutes of the typical hovering-based ABSs. Therefore, the prolonged service capabilities of RABSs allowing them to integrate into the radio access network and augment the network capacity where and when needed. To set the scene, we discuss the key components of the proposed RABS concept including hardware, workflow, communication considerations, and regulation issues. Then, the advantages of RABSs are highlighted which is followed by case studies that compare RABSs with terrestrial micro BSs and other types of non-terrestrial communication infrastructure, such as hovering-based, tethered, and laser-powered ABSs.

Figures (5)

• Figure 1: An overview of different ABS platforms developed to overcome the endurance issue: RABS, laser-powered ABS, hovering ABS, and tethered ABS.
• Figure 2: Hardware structure of the designed RABS.
• Figure 3: Standardization efforts planned for 6G wireless communication networks and efforts to regulate UAV operation.
• Figure 4: Comparing coverage performance and energy consumption for different types of ABS.
• Figure 5: Comparing the served traffic with fixed micro BSs.