Fluid Antenna Systems: Redefining Reconfigurable Wireless Communications

作者：W. New, Kai-Kit Wong, Chao Wang, Chan-Byoung Chae, R. Murch, Hamid Jafarkhani, Y. Hao · 发表于：IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications · 年份：2026 · DOI：10.1109/jsac.2025.3632097 · 被引用次数：76 · 研究领域：Computer Science

Sixth-generation (6G) networks are rapidly becoming a focal point of global technological innovation, driven by the need to support hyper-reliable, low-latency, and intelligent connectivity for applications such as immersive extended reality, autonomous systems, and ubiquitous sensing. While 6G promises transformative advancements in wireless communication, achieving its ambitious goals poses significant fundamental challenges. One natural direction is to scale multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology to unprecedented levels; however, doing so introduces substantial hardware complexity and power consumption. To overcome these limitations, recent research has explored antenna reconfigurability as a novel degree of freedom (DoF) at the physical (PHY) layer. Among these efforts, the fluid antenna system (FAS) has emerged as a compelling concept, offering reconfigurability in both spatial positioning and physical structure. This idea has inspired related innovations, including movable antennas, flexible-position MIMO, reconfigurable MIMO architectures, and adaptive antenna arrays, collectively referred to as next-generation reconfigurable antenna (NGRA) systems. While prior work has primarily focused on spatial flexibility, this article introduces a generalized model of FAS that incorporates both structural and morphological fluidity, enabling the vision of “shapeless and formless” antennas in future wireless systems. We analyze FAS’s potential to enhance key performance ...