The rapid growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) devices in the sixth-generation (6G) wireless networks raises significant generality and scalability challenges due to energy consumption, deployment complexity, and environmental impact. Ambient IoT (A-IoT), leveraging ambient energy harvesting (EH) for batteryless device operation, has emerged as a promising solution to address these challenges.Among various EH and communication techniques, visible light communication (VLC) integrated with ambient backscatter communication (AmBC) offers remarkable advantages, including energy neutrality, high reliability, and enhanced security. In this paper, we propose a joint VLC-AmBC architecture, emphasizing fundamental concepts, system designs, and practical implementations. We explore potential applications in environmental monitoring, healthcare, smart logistics, and secure communications. We present proof-of-concept demonstrations for three distinct types of ambient backscatter devices (AmBDs): EH-Only, VLC-Relay, and VLC-Control. Experimental results demonstrate the feasibility of implementing joint VLC-AmBC systems, highlighting their practical viability across various deployment scenarios. Finally, we outline future research directions, including integrated sensing and communication, as well as optimized energy-efficient deployment. Open issues, such as large-scale deployment challenges, are also discussed, thereby providing a clear roadmap for future developments in joint VLC-AmBC-enabled A-IoT ecosystems.

翻译：第六代（6G）无线网络中物联网设备的快速增长，因能耗、部署复杂性和环境影响而引发了显著的通用性与可扩展性挑战。环境物联网通过利用环境能量收集实现无电池设备运行，已成为应对这些挑战的一种有前景的解决方案。在各种能量收集与通信技术中，可见光通信与环境反向散射通信的集成展现出显著优势，包括能量中性、高可靠性和增强的安全性。本文提出了一种联合VLC-AmBC架构，重点阐述了其基本概念、系统设计和实际实现。我们探讨了其在环境监测、医疗保健、智能物流和安全通信中的潜在应用。针对三种不同类型的环境反向散射设备——仅能量收集型、VLC中继型和VLC控制型——我们展示了概念验证演示。实验结果证明了实现联合VLC-AmBC系统的可行性，凸显了其在多种部署场景中的实际适用性。最后，我们展望了未来的研究方向，包括集成感知与通信以及优化的能效部署。同时讨论了大规模部署挑战等开放性问题，从而为基于联合VLC-AmBC的环境物联网生态系统的未来发展提供了清晰的路线图。