6GEM+ Profile
The process of increasing digitalization across vertical industries will require the integration of robust and energy-efficient mobile communication and computing systems capable of operating in demanding industrial environments. This will lead to innovative wireless applications such as the “industrial metaverse” for manufacturing, logistics, and more. The vision of an industrial metaverse enables the seamless integration of advanced industrial applications and facilitates real-time interactions between physical and digital environments.

To realize the project’s vision, research within 6GEM+ will focus on innovative 6G technologies that will be tested in laboratory environments and large-scale testbeds. The project partners will be supported by additional associated partners from industry, who will act as use-case mentors. These partners are crucial to ensuring that the developed technologies are practical and meet the specific requirements of industry by providing valuable insights from real-world applications. With a clear focus on sustainability, security, and resilience of mobile communication systems, 6GEM+ will offer a unique platform that combines research with practical validation.

Scientific and Technical Objectives of TU Dortmund University
Within the framework of 6GEM+, TU Dortmund University pursues an extensive work program based on four interrelated scientific and technological objectives:

1. Communication-aware control in real-time systems:
   The objective is to develop and evaluate methods for robust, latency-sensitive allocation of network resources under varying channel conditions. The focus is on tightly coupling digital twin technologies with holistic data analytics to enable dynamically adaptable control of industrial processes.
2. Design of resilient 6G communication systems:
   Based on a systemic view of communication, control, and feedback loops, TU Dortmund develops innovative architectural concepts for deterministic and fault-tolerant networks. This includes dynamic scheduling algorithms, predictive optimization methods, and AI-based mechanisms for configuring 6G networks. The goal is to ensure reliable operation through adaptive, context-aware network services, even under extreme conditions such as emergency scenarios.
3. Integration of intelligent reflecting surfaces and novel spectrum usage (FR3):
   A key technical focus is the integration of reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (active RIS and passive IRS) to optimize 6G signal propagation across heterogeneous frequency ranges (FR2 / FR3). TU Dortmund places particular emphasis on combining these hardware innovations with software-based optimization solutions, including spectrum- and energy-aware communication design for high-frequency bands such as FR3.
4. Systematic validation in realistic test environments:
   A distinctive feature of the project is the experimental validation of the developed concepts in practice-oriented environments. TU Dortmund contributes its infrastructures and expertise to the design of future-oriented, scalable testbeds—among others for intelligent mobility (immersive teleoperation, autonomous and cooperative vehicle control), logistics (control of mobile robots), and emergency response (ad-hoc networking of heterogeneous rescue systems). By strategically extending existing demonstrators, transferability to industrial applications is ensured.

In summary, TU Dortmund addresses both fundamental and applied research questions in the field of resilient, adaptive, and intelligent communication systems within this subproject. The developed solutions are demonstrated as proof-of-concepts in close collaboration with industrial use-case mentors, thereby forming a central building block for realizing the 6GEM+ vision.

This project is funded by the Federal Ministry for Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) under the grant number 16KIS2412.