Toward Haptic Communications Over the 5G Tactile Internet

TLDR

Touch is envisioned as a third media stream alongside audio and vision, enabling immersive haptic applications that require ultra‑reliable, low‑latency networks to maintain optimal user experience. The survey aims to evaluate and synthesize the infrastructure, technologies, and protocols required for haptic communication, and to identify lessons and future challenges. The authors review existing methodologies and technologies, emphasizing how 5G networks, haptic data protocols, bilateral teleoperation control schemes, and data processing enable haptic communication. The survey concludes with lessons learned, identifies future challenges, and offers conclusions on the state of haptic communication infrastructure.

Abstract

Touch is currently seen as the modality that will complement audition and vision as a third media stream over the Internet in a variety of future haptic applications which will allow full immersion and that will, in many ways, impact society. Nevertheless, the high requirements of these applications demand networks which allow ultra-reliable and low-latency communication for the challenging task of applying the required quality of service for maintaining the user's quality of experience at optimum levels. In this survey, we enlist, discuss, and evaluate methodologies and technologies of the necessary infrastructure for haptic communication. Furthermore, we focus on how the fifth generation of mobile networks will allow haptic applications to take life, in combination with the haptic data communication protocols, bilateral teleoperation control schemes and haptic data processing needed. Finally, we state the lessons learned throughout the surveyed research material along with the future challenges and infer our conclusions.