Tactile Internet

The Tactile Internet will be the next evolution of the Internet of Things (IoT), encompassing human-to-machine and machine-to-machine interaction. It will enable real-time interactive systems with a raft of industrial, societal and business use cases.
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) defines the Tactile Internet as an internet network that combines ultra low latency with extremely high availability, reliability and security. It believes the Tactile Internet represents a “revolutionary level of development for society, economics and culture”.
The Tactile Internet is the next evolution that will enable the control of the IoT in real time. It will add a new dimension to human-to-machine interaction by enabling tactile and haptic sensations, and at the same time revolutionise the interaction of machines.

The Tactile Internet will enable humans and machines to interact with their environment, in real time, while on the move and within a certain spatial communication range. It will unleash the full potential of the fourth industrial revolution, dubbed Industry 4.0, and revolutionise the way we learn and work through the Internet of Skills, aka Human 4.0.

Proponents of the Tactile Internet argue that it should build on areas where machines are strong and humans are weak, so that the machines complement rather than substitute humans. As the power of the machines increases, the value of the human input should also grow.

The Tactile Internet will combine multiple technologies, both at the network and application level. At the edges, the Tactile Internet will be enabled by the IoT and robots. Content and data will be transmitted over a 5G network, while intelligence will be enabled close to the user experience through mobile edge computing. At the application level, automation, robotics, telepresence, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI) will all play a part.