# Demo: Real-Time Semantic Communications with a Vision Transformer

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2205.03886 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2205.03886/

## Key facts

- Cited by 10 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 4 of its 6 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 8 May 2022.

## Builds on (most cited first, 4 of 4)

- [Deep Residual Learning for Image Recognition](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1512.03385/) (2015)
- [An Image is Worth 16x16 Words: Transformers for Image Recognition at Scale](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2010.11929/) (2020)
- [Semantic Communication Systems for Speech Transmission](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2102.12605/) (2021)
- [Reinforcement Learning-powered Semantic Communication via Semantic Similarity](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2108.12121/) (2021)

## Built on by (most cited first, 10 of 10)

- [Beyond Transmitting Bits: Context, Semantics, and Task-Oriented Communications](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2207.09353/) (2022)
- [Semantic Successive Refinement: A Generative AI-aided Semantic Communication Framework](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2408.05112/) (2024)
- [Semantics-Empowered Communication: A Tutorial-cum-Survey](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2212.08487/) (2022)
- [Deep Learning in Physical Layer: Review on Data Driven End-to-End Communication Systems and their Enabling Semantic Applications](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2401.12800/) (2024)
- [Semantic Edge-Cloud Communication for Real-Time Urban Traffic Surveillance with ViT and LLMs over Mobile Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2509.21259/) (2025)
- [A Semantic Communication System for Real-time 3D Reconstruction Tasks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2412.01191/) (2024)
- [Bridging Neural Networks and Wireless Systems with MIMO-OFDM Semantic Communications](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2501.16726/) (2025)
- [Large-Scale Model Enabled Semantic Communication Based on Robust Knowledge Distillation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2508.02148/) (2025)
- [On Privacy-Preserving Image Transmission in Low-Altitude Networks: A Swin Transformer-Based Framework with Federated Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2605.12566/) (2026)
- [SafeStep: An Interactive Demonstration of Semantic Communication for Pedestrian Safety Monitoring](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2608.27688/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Semantic communications are expected to enable the more effective delivery of meaning rather than a precise transfer of symbols. In this paper, we propose an end-to-end deep neural network-based architecture for image transmission and demonstrate its feasibility in a real-time wireless channel by implementing a prototype based on a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). We demonstrate that this system outperforms the traditional 256-quadrature amplitude modulation system in the low signal-to-noise ratio regime with the popular CIFAR-10 dataset. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work that implements and investigates real-time semantic communications with a vision transformer.