Survey of reconfigurable intelligent surfaces-enabled mobile edge computing

YANG Dongdong; LI Bin

doi:10.11959/j.issn.2096-3750.2025.00473

您当前的位置：

首页 >

文章列表页 >

Survey of reconfigurable intelligent surfaces-enabled mobile edge computing

Review | 更新时间：2026-01-04

- Survey of reconfigurable intelligent surfaces-enabled mobile edge computing
- Chinese Journal on Internet of Things Vol. 9, Issue 4, Pages: 1-14(2025)
- 作者机构：
  
  1.南京信息工程大学计算机学院，江苏南京 210044
  2.湖州市城市多维感知与智能计算重点实验室，浙江湖州 313000
- 作者简介：
- 基金信息：
  
  The Open Research Program of Huzhou Key Laboratory of Urban Multidimensional Perception and Intelligent Computing(UMPIC202403)
- DOI：10.11959/j.issn.2096-3750.2025.00473
  CLC：
- Received：20 February 2025，
  
  Revised：2025-11-12，
  
  Published：10 December 2025
- 稿件说明：
移动端阅览
杨冬东,李斌.智能超表面赋能移动边缘计算研究综述[J].物联网学报,2025,09(04):1-14.

YANG Dongdong,LI Bin.Survey of reconfigurable intelligent surfaces-enabled mobile edge computing[J].Chinese Journal on Internet of Things,2025,09(04):1-14.
杨冬东,李斌.智能超表面赋能移动边缘计算研究综述[J].物联网学报,2025,09(04):1-14. DOI： 10.11959/j.issn.2096-3750.2025.00473.

YANG Dongdong,LI Bin.Survey of reconfigurable intelligent surfaces-enabled mobile edge computing[J].Chinese Journal on Internet of Things,2025,09(04):1-14. DOI： 10.11959/j.issn.2096-3750.2025.00473.

摘要

移动边缘计算（MEC

mobile edge computing）通过将计算和存储能力从集中式数据中心下沉至网络边缘，有效地满足了多种应用场景的需求，已成为6G技术中的关键组成部分。然而，在复杂环境中，用户与MEC服务器之间的视距链路易受障碍物遮挡，导致计算卸载能力受到显著的限制。将智能超表面（RIS

reconfigurable intelligent surface）引入MEC系统中，能够优化无线传输环境，为解决这一问题提供了有效的手段，且已成为未来通信领域的重要研究方向。首先，对MEC的基本概念与应用场景进行了概述，并回顾了RIS的发展历程。接着，详细探讨了RIS辅助MEC计算卸载的优化目标、研究方法以及应用场景。最后，展望了未来RIS与MEC结合的研究趋势，并结合通感算一体化、低空经济等前沿技术进行了深入分析，旨在为相关领域的研究人员提供参考和启示。

Abstract

Mobile edge computing (MEC) has become a key technology in 6G by bringing computing and storage capabilities from centralized data centers to the network edge

effectively meeting the demands of multiple application scenarios. However

in the complex environments

the line-of-sight links between users and MEC servers are prone to being blocked by obstacles

significantly limiting offloading capabilities. Integrating reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) into MEC systems enhances the wireless signal transmission environment

thereby offering an effective solution to this challenge and positioning RIS-assisted MEC as an important research focus in future communication technologies. Firstly

the basic concepts and application scenarios of MEC were outlined

and the recent developments of RIS were reviewed. Then

the optimization objectives

research methods

and applications for RIS-assisted MEC systems were discussed in detail. Finally

the future research trend of combining RIS with MEC was envisioned and analyzed in-depth in combination with the advanced technologies such as integrated sensing

computation

and communication and low-altitude economy

aiming to provide valuable references and insights for researchers in related areas.

关键词

Keywords

references

杨守义 , 陈怡航 , 张双玲 , 等 . 面向未来移动通信的移动边缘计算研究综述 [J ] . 郑州大学学报(工学版) , 2024 , 45 ( 4 ): 1 - 10, 29 .

YANG S Y , CHEN Y H , ZHANG S L , et al . Research of mobile edge computing for future mobile communications: a review [J ] . Journal of Zhengzhou University (Engineering Science) , 2024 , 45 ( 4 ): 1 - 10, 29 .

胡恒 , 金凤林 , 郎思琪 . 移动边缘计算环境中的计算卸载技术研究综述 [J ] . 计算机工程与应用 , 2021 , 57 ( 14 ): 60 - 74 .

HU H , JIN F L , LANG S Q . Survey of research on computation offloading technology in mobile edge computing environment [J ] . Computer Engineering and Applications , 2021 , 57 ( 14 ): 60 - 74 .

QIN X T , SONG Z Y , HOU T W , et al . Joint resource allocation and configuration design for STAR-RIS-enhanced wireless-powered MEC [J ] . IEEE Transactions on Communications , 2023 , 71 ( 4 ): 2381 - 2395 .

LINTHICUM D S . Connecting fog and cloud computing [J ] . IEEE Cloud Computing , 2017 , 4 ( 2 ): 18 - 20 .

ELMOSSALLAMY M A , ZHANG H L , SONG L Y , et al . Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces for wireless communications: principles, challenges, and opportunities [J ] . IEEE Transactions on Cognitive Communications and Networking , 2020 , 6 ( 3 ): 990 - 1002 .

WU Q Q , ZHANG R . Towards smart and reconfigurable environment: intelligent reflecting surface aided wireless network [J ] . IEEE Communications Magazine , 2020 , 58 ( 1 ): 106 - 112 .

DAI Y Y , GUAN Y L , LEUNG K K , et al . Reconfigurable intelligent surface for low-latency edge computing in 6G [J ] . IEEE Wireless Communications , 2021 , 28 ( 6 ): 72 - 79 .

WU Q Q , ZHANG S W , ZHENG B X , et al . Intelligent reflecting surface-aided wireless communications: a tutorial [J ] . IEEE Transactions on Communications , 2021 , 69 ( 5 ): 3313 - 3351 .

BAI T , PAN C H , DENG Y S , et al . Latency minimization for intelligent reflecting surface aided mobile edge computing [J ] . IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications , 2020 , 38 ( 11 ): 2666 - 2682 .

LI Z Y , CHEN M , YANG Z H , et al . Energy efficient reconfigurable intelligent surface enabled mobile edge computing networks with NOMA [J ] . IEEE Transactions on Cognitive Communications and Networking , 2021 , 7 ( 2 ): 427 - 440 .

MAO Y Y , YOU C S , ZHANG J , et al . A survey on mobile edge computing: the communication perspective [J ] . IEEE Communications Surveys Tutorials , 2017 , 19 ( 4 ): 2322 - 2358 .

ABBAS N , ZHANG Y , TAHERKORDI A , et al . Mobile edge computing: a survey [J ] . IEEE Internet of Things Journal , 2018 , 5 ( 1 ): 450 - 465 .

LIU Y , CHEN M , PAN C H , et al . Channel tracking for RIS-aided mmWave communications under high mobility scenarios [J ] . IEEE Communications Letters , 2023 , 27 ( 5 ): 1397 - 1401 .

PENG Z J , LI T S , PAN C H , et al . RIS-aided D2D communications relying on statistical CSI with imperfect hardware [J ] . IEEE Communications Letters , 2022 , 26 ( 2 ): 473 - 477 .

ZHANG Z J , DAI L L , CHEN X B , et al . Active RIS vs. passive RIS: which will prevail in 6G? [J ] . IEEE Transactions on Communications , 2023 , 71 ( 3 ): 1707 - 1725 .

NGO Q T , PHAN K T , MAHMOOD A , et al . DRL-based secure beamforming for hybrid-RIS aided satellite downlink communications [C ] // Proceedings of the 2022 IEEE International Conference on Communication, Networks and Satellite (COMNETSAT) . Piscataway : IEEE Press , 2023 : 432 - 437 .

邓志祥 , 戴陈庆 , 张志威 . 混合可重构智能表面和人工噪声辅助的物理层安全通信 [J ] . 电子与信息学报 , 2024 , 46 ( 8 ): 3155 - 3164 .

DENG Z X , DAI C Q , ZHANG Z W . Physical layer security for hybrid reconfigurable intelligent surface and artificial noise assisted communication [J ] . Journal of Electronics Information Technology , 2024 , 46 ( 8 ): 3155 - 3164 .

XU J Q , LIU Y W , MU X D , et al . STAR-RISs: simultaneous transmitting and reflecting reconfigurable intelligent surfaces [J ] . IEEE Communications Letters , 2021 , 25 ( 9 ): 3134 - 3138 .

MU X D , LIU Y W , GUO L , et al . Simultaneously transmitting and reflecting (STAR) RIS aided wireless communications [J ] . IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications , 2022 , 21 ( 5 ): 3083 - 3098 .

AHMED M , WAHID A , LAIQUE S S , et al . A survey on STAR-RIS: use cases, recent advances, and future research challenges [J ] . IEEE Internet of Things Journal , 2023 , 10 ( 16 ): 14689 - 14711 .

HU X Y , MASOUROS C , WONG K K . Reconfigurable intelligent surface aided mobile edge computing: from optimization-based to location-only learning-based solutions [J ] . IEEE Transactions on Communications , 2021 , 69 ( 6 ): 3709 - 3725 .

HUANG A , QU L , KHABBAZ M J . Latency-aware computation offloading in multi-RIS-assisted edge networks [J ] . IEEE Open Journal of the Communications Society , 2024 , 5 : 1204 - 1221 .

YANG Y , HU Y L , GURSOY M C . Energy efficiency of RIS-assisted NOMA-based MEC networks in the finite blocklength regime [J ] . IEEE Transactions on Communications , 2024 , 72 ( 4 ): 2275 - 2291 .

YANG Y Z , GONG Y , WU Y C . Energy-sensitive binary offloading for reconfigurable-intelligent-surface-assisted wireless-powered mobile-edge computing [J ] . IEEE Internet of Things Journal , 2024 , 11 ( 7 ): 11593 - 11605 .

QIN X T , SONG Z Y , HOU T W , et al . Joint optimization of resource allocation, phase shift, and UAV trajectory for energy-efficient RIS-assisted UAV-enabled MEC systems [J ] . IEEE Transactions on Green Communications and Networking , 2023 , 7 ( 4 ): 1778 - 1792 .

WAN Z X , JIANG W H , NIE J T , et al . Min-max fairness based joint optimal design for IRS-assisted MEC systems [J ] . IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology , 2024 , 73 ( 8 ): 11949 - 11963 .

SHI L Q , YE Y H , ZHENG G , et al . Computational EE fairness in backscatter-assisted wireless powered MEC networks [J ] . IEEE Wireless Communications Letters , 2021 , 10 ( 5 ): 1088 - 1092 .

ZARGARI S , TELLAMBURA C , HERATH S . Energy-efficient hybrid offloading for backscatter-assisted wirelessly powered MEC with reconfigurable intelligent surfaces [J ] . IEEE Transactions on Mobile Computing , 2023 , 22 ( 9 ): 5262 - 5279 .

KHAN S , AVGERIS M , GASCON-SAMSON J , et al . EMDTORA: energy-aware multi-user dependent task offloading and resource allocation in MEC using graph-enabled DRL [J ] . IEEE Transactions on Green Communications and Networking , 2025 , 9 ( 3 ): 1453 - 1469 .

ADIONEL GUIMARAES D , FARIA FLORIANO G H , SILVESTRE CHAVES L . A tutorial on the CVX system for modeling and solving convex optimization problems [J ] . IEEE Latin America Transactions , 2015 , 13 ( 5 ): 1228 - 1257 .

AKROUT M , BELLILI F , MEZGHANI A , et al . On the out-of-distribution evaluation of ML-based end-to-end communications systems [C ] // Proceedings of the ICC 2024 - IEEE International Conference on Communications . Piscataway : IEEE Press , 2024 : 962 - 967 .

ARULKUMARAN K , DEISENROTH M P , BRUNDAGE M , et al . Deep reinforcement learning: a brief survey [J ] . IEEE Signal Processing Magazine , 2017 , 34 ( 6 ): 26 - 38 .

XU J P , AI B , WU L N , et al . Deep reinforcement learning for computation rate maximization in RIS-enabled mobile edge computing [J ] . IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology , 2024 , 73 ( 7 ): 10862 - 10866 .

YU X B , YU K , HUANG X , et al . Computation efficiency optimization for RIS-assisted millimeter-wave mobile edge computing systems [J ] . IEEE Transactions on Communications , 2022 , 70 ( 8 ): 5528 - 5542 .

LI Z , CHEN P C , JIANG J , et al . Sum computational bits maximization for active RIS-assisted MEC system with RSMA [C ] // Proceedings of the 2023 International Conference on Wireless Communications and Signal Processing (WCSP) . Piscataway : IEEE Press , 2024 : 1085 - 1090 .

LI B , QIAN Z , FEI Z S . SAC-based computation offloading for reconfigurable intelligent surface-aided mobile edge networks [J ] . China Communications , 2024 , 21 ( 6 ): 261 - 270 .

ZHANG Q , WANG Y H , LI H , et al . Resource allocation for energy efficient STAR-RIS aided MEC systems [J ] . IEEE Wireless Communications Letters , 2023 , 12 ( 4 ): 610 - 614 .

LIU Z R , LI Z Z , WEN M W , et al . STAR-RIS-aided mobile edge computing: computation rate maximization with binary amplitude coefficients [J ] . IEEE Transactions on Communications , 2023 , 71 ( 7 ): 4313 - 4327 .

XU Y , ZHANG T K , ZOU Y X , et al . Reconfigurable intelligence surface aided UAV-MEC systems with NOMA [J ] . IEEE Communications Letters , 2022 , 26 ( 9 ): 2121 - 2125 .

YIN Z S , CHENG N , LUAN T H , et al . DT-assisted multi-point symbiotic security in space-air-ground integrated networks [J ] . IEEE Transactions on Information Forensics and Security , 2023 , 18 : 5721 - 5734 .

WANG S M , SONG X Q , SONG T C , et al . Fairness-aware computation offloading with trajectory optimization and phase-shift design in RIS-assisted multi-UAV MEC network [J ] . IEEE Internet of Things Journal , 2024 , 11 ( 11 ): 20547 - 20561 .

LI L P , GUAN W Q , ZHAO C , et al . Trajectory planning, phase shift design, and IoT devices association in flying-RIS-assisted mobile edge computing [J ] . IEEE Internet of Things Journal , 2024 , 11 ( 1 ): 147 - 157 .

AUNG P S , NGUYEN L X , TUN Y K , et al . Aerial STAR-RIS empowered MEC: a DRL approach for energy minimization [J ] . IEEE Wireless Communications Letters , 2024 , 13 ( 5 ): 1409 - 1413 .

LIU X , YU Y F , LI F , et al . Throughput maximization for RIS-UAV relaying communications [J ] . IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems , 2022 , 23 ( 10 ): 19569 - 19574 .

ADAM A B M , WAN X Y , ELHASSAN M A M , et al . Intelligent and robust UAV-aided multiuser RIS communication technique with jittering UAV and imperfect hardware constraints [J ] . IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology , 2023 , 72 ( 8 ): 10737 - 10753 .

GAO R F , CHEN Y , HU Y D , et al . Towards UAV aerial base station networking robustness: a jitter-aware antenna selection perspective [J ] . IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology , 2024 , 73 ( 10 ): 15866 - 15871 .

TIAN J , WANG D , ZHANG H X , et al . Service satisfaction-oriented task offloading and UAV scheduling in UAV-enabled MEC networks [J ] . IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications , 2023 , 22 ( 12 ): 8949 - 8964 .

DING Y , FENG Y Q , LU W D , et al . Online edge learning offloading and resource management for UAV-assisted MEC secure communications [J ] . IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Signal Processing , 2023 , 17 ( 1 ): 54 - 65 .

卢汉成 , 王亚正 , 赵丹 , 等 . 智能反射表面辅助的无线通信系统的物理层安全综述 [J ] . 通信学报 , 2022 , 43 ( 2 ): 171 - 184 .

LU H C , WANG Y Z , ZHAO D , et al . Survey of physical layer security of intelligent reflecting surface-assisted wireless communication systems [J ] . Journal on Communications , 2022 , 43 ( 2 ): 171 - 184 .

LIU X B , WANG X R , ZHAO X W , et al . Energy-minimization resource allocation for FD-NOMA enabled integrated sensing, communication, and computation in PIoT [J ] . IEEE Transactions on Network Science and Engineering , 2024 , 11 ( 6 ): 5863 - 5877 .

LI H C , MU X D , LIU Y W , et al . STAR-RIS-aided integrated sensing, computing, and communication for Internet of robotic things [J ] . IEEE Internet of Things Journal , 2024 , 11 ( 20 ): 32514 - 32526 .

CHENG Y J , PENG W , HUANG C W , et al . RIS-aided wireless communications: extra degrees of freedom via rotation and location optimization [J ] . IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications , 2022 , 21 ( 8 ): 6656 - 6671 .

XU S Q , GUO H Y , DONG W , et al . Optimal elevation and azimuth rotation for RIS-assisted wireless transmission [J ] . IEEE Communications Letters , 2024 , 28 ( 12 ): 2909 - 2913 .

Views

下载量

CSCD

Alert me when the article has been cited

提交

Tools

Publicity Resources

Partial computation offloading method based on joint resource allocation for mobile edge computing

Intent-driven dual-time-scale resource allocation approach for Internet of things

Joint spectrum sensing and resource allocation mechanism with untrusted sensing nodes

Multi-agent-based time-sensitive task scheduling optimization strategy in satellite-terrestrial collaboration

Related Author

Yao LIU

Yueyuan HE

Hongjing ZHOU

Chaoliang LI

Chuang LI

Song Hang

Cai Jian

Yuan Yundong

Related Institution

School of Digital Media and Humanities, Hunan University of Technology and Business

Changsha Social Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence

School of Computer Science, Hunan University of Technology and Business

State Key Laboratory of Networking and Switching Technology, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications

SINO-PIPELINE International Company

⁰