ITU-T Technology Watch Report

The ITU has published a Tactile Internet Technology Watch Report which can be downloaded here. It outlines the potential of the Tactile Internet, explores its promise in application fields ranging from industry automation and transport systems to healthcare, education, and gaming. The report describes also the Tactile Internet demands on future digital infrastructure and its expected impact on society.

ETSI STANDARDIZATION ACTIVITIES

Participation and following up on the ETSI IP6  Industrial Specification Group (ISG):  https://portal.etsi.org/tb.aspx?tbid=827&SubTB=827. A work item on IPv6-based Tactile Internet has been completed. We are pleased to share the update that Toshiba Research Europe Ltd., Bristol, U.K jointed the ETSI IP6 ISG and contributed to the IPv6-based Tactile Internet work item.

IEEE STANDARDIZATION ACTIVITIES

A collaboration involving King’s College London and the Technical University of Dresden has presented a proposal for a IEEE standards working group on the topic of “Tactile Internet” to be formed operating under the oversight of the IEEE ComSoc Standards Development Board (SDB). The proposal was accepted by the IEEE ComSoc SDB to progress immediately to the initiation of the standards working group.
The IEEE Standards Association has approved the formulation of the IEEE “Tactile Internet” Standards Working group (numbered IEEE 1918.1) and the start of work on the IEEE “Tactile Internet” baseline standard! Congratulations to all the Tactile Internet TSC members who have contributed to this effort. The IEEE P1918.1 standard facilitates the rapid realization of the Tactile Internet as a 5G and beyond application, across a range of different user groups. Additionally, this standard provides the groundwork upon which the Tactile Internet will be formed. To this end, this standard provides a baseline for a pioneering range of further standards that will be created under this working group realizing the key necessary technical capabilities of the Tactile Internet.This standard defines a framework for the Tactile Internet, including descriptions of various application scenarios, definitions and terminology, functions, and technical assumptions. This framework prominently also includes a reference model and architecture, which defines common architectural entities, interfaces between those entities, and the mapping of functions to those entities. The Tactile Internet encompasses mission critical applications (e.g., manufacturing, transportation, healthcare and mobility), as well as non-critical applications (e.g., edutainment and events). For more details, please visit the IEEE P1918.1 – Tactile Internet working group website (here).

The IEEE Standards Association (IEEE-¬SA) has recently approved the standardization of Haptic Codecs for the Tactile Internet (TI). This standard defines haptic codecs for the Tactile Internet (TI). These codecs address TI application scenarios where the human is in the loop (i.e. teleoperation or remote touch applications) as well as scenarios that rely on machine remote control. The standard defines (perceptual) data reduction algorithms and schemes for both closed-loop (kinesthetic information exchange) and open-loop (tactile information exchange) communication. These codecs are designed such that they can be combined with stabilizing control and local communication architectures for time-delayed teleoperation. Further, the standard also specifies mechanisms and protocols for the exchange of the capabilities (e.g. workspace, the number of degrees of freedom, amplitude range, temporal and spatial resolution, etc.) of the haptic devices. For more information visit the P1918.1.1 – Haptic Codecs for the Tactile Internet project website (here).

Please, find some related overview slides here: ieee_standardization_overview