Abstract

Abstract
Telecommunications and computer vision solutions have evolved significantly in recent years, allowing a huge advance in the functionalities and applications offered. However, these two fields have been making their way as separate areas, not exploring the potential benefits of merging the innovations brought from each of them. In challenging environments, for example, combining radio sensing and computer vision can strongly contribute to solving problems such as those introduced by obstructions or limited lighting. Machine learning algorithms, able to fuse heterogeneous and multi-modal data, are also a key element for understanding and inferring additional knowledge from raw and low-level data, able to create a new abstracting level that can significantly enhance many applications. This paper introduces the CONVERGE vision-radio concept, a new paradigm that explores the benefits of integrating two fields of knowledge towards the vision of View-to-Communicate, Communicate-to-View. The main concepts behind this vision, including supporting use cases and the proposed architecture, are presented. CONVERGE introduces a set of tools integrating wireless communications and computer vision to create a novel experimental infrastructure that will provide open datasets to the scientific community of both experimental and simulated data, enabling new research addressing various 6 G verticals, including telecommunications, automotive, manufacturing, media, and health.

Abstract

Abstract
In the coming years, a wide range of underwater applications, including resource mining, marine research, and military operations will play an increasingly important role. The Internet of Underwater Things (IoUT) extends IoT principles to underwater environments, enabling connectivity between underwater devices and the Internet. However, high latency, intermittent connectivity, and security risks, such as privacy breaches, data tampering, and unauthorized access, pose major challenges to IoUT adoption. Existing security mechanisms fail in Delay-Tolerant Networks (DTNs) due to their reliance on centralized trust models. Blockchain provides a decentralized, immutable, and transparent solution for securing underwater communications. This paper introduces the Blockchain-Based Underwater Messaging System (BUMS), an innovative solution that ensures message integrity, confidentiality, and resilience in DTNs. Messages are immutably stored in blockchain blocks, while malicious nodes are autonomously detected and excluded without the need for a central authority. To evaluate its feasibility, we developed the Underwater Blockchain Simulator (UBS), a custom-tailored open-source simulator designed to test blockchain algorithms in underwater networks. Simulation results demonstrate that BUMS enhances security and network reliability while maintaining efficiency in high-latency underwater environments, making it a viable solution for secure IoUT-based communications.

Abstract
The growing demands of the Blue Economy are increasingly supported by sensing platforms, including as Autonomous Surface Vehicles (ASVs) and Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs). Multimodal Underwater Wireless Networks (MUWNs), which may combine acoustic, radio-frequency, and optical wireless technologies, enhance underwater data transmission capabilities. Although Delay-Tolerant Networks (DTNs) address connectivity intermittency in such environments, not all data streams are delay-tolerant, and transmitting high-bandwidth DTN traffic over narrowband links can lead to significant inefficiencies. This paper presents QoS-MUWCom, a Quality of Service (QoS)-aware communication solution designed to manage both real-time and delay-tolerant traffic across dynamically selected multimodal interfaces. Experimental evaluations conducted in a freshwater tank demonstrate that QoS-MUWCom achieves near-zero packet loss for low-demand traffic even under link saturation, improves throughput for prioritized flows up to three times in mobility scenarios, and adapts to link availability and node mobility. The results confirm that QoS-MUWCom outperforms conventional multimodal strategies, contributing to more robust, resilient and efficient underwater communications.