MetaVenom: Field Programmable Fully Passive Metasurfaces

Abstract

Emerging high frequency wireless sensing and communication systems often leverage metasurfaces to modulate the signal propagation, thereby transcending Snell's law. Yet, existing metasurfaces are either active, which is constantly sustained by electrical power, or passive, which cannot be reconfigured. In this paper, we explore a quasi-dynamic meta-surface using electrically morphable ferrofluid that enables a new category of metasurface design for wireless sensing and communication. We first characterize how ferrofluid material interact with high-frequency millimeter-wave signals. Next, we present a practical fabrication method of quasi-dynamic metasurface using thermoplastic 3D printing. We then develop a model to effectively manipulate the wireless signal propagation using an array of field-programmable ferrofluid cells. Our extensive evaluation results reveal the capabilities of a novel quasi-dynamic metasurface as an alternative to existing wireless tags for joint radar communication, and beamforming metasurfaces for enhancing millimeter-wave network coverage.