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 (URLLC) for the challenging task of applying the required Quality of Service (QoS) for maintaining the user’s Quality of Experience (QoE) 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 (5G) 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.

Network softwarization is a major paradigm shift, which enables programmable and flexible system operation in challenging use cases. In the fifth-generation (5G) mobile networks, the more advanced scenarios envision transfer of high-rate mission-critical traffic. Achieving end-to-end reliability of these stringent sessions requires support from multiple radio access technologies and calls for dynamic orchestration of resources across both radio access and core network segments. Emerging 5G systems can already offer network slicing, multi-connectivity, and end-to-end quality provisioning mechanisms for critical data transfers within a single software-controlled network. While these individual enablers are already in active development, a holistic perspective on how to construct a unified, service-ready system as well as understand the implications of critical traffic on serving other user sessions is not yet available. Against this background, the paper first introduces a softwarized 5G architecture for end-to-end reliability of mission-critical traffic. Then, a mathematical framework is contributed to model the process of critical session transfers in a softwarized 5G access network and the corresponding impact on other user sessions is quantified. Finally, a prototype hardware implementation is completed to investigate the practical effects of supporting mission-critical data in a softwarized 5G core network as well as substantiate the key system design choices.

Capitalizing on the latest developments in 5G and ultra-low delay networking as well as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robotics, we advocate here for the emergence of an entirely novel Internet which will enable the delivery of skills in digital form. We outline the technical challenges which need to be overcome to enable such a vision, i.e., on the development of a 5G Tactile Internet, standardized haptic codecs, and AI to enable the perception of zero delay networks. The paper is concluded with an overview on the current capabilities, and the standardization initiatives in the IEEE 5G Tactile Internet standards working group as well as the IEEE 5G Initiative.

This article presents the design methodology for an in-situ solar panel monitoring system based on wired and wireless sensor network technologies. The system presented provides in-situ performance data for each solar panel of a solar park installation and allows through a web-based application the optimization of electric power production. The proposed platform is based on wired networking technologies combined with short range low-power wireless sensor nodes. Performance parameters are measured for each PV panel and are transmitted to a remote coordinator. Details about the developed platform are presented with preliminary results

5G is all about integrating new industries in the design of this whole new generation, where the mobile broadband connection is not the one and only use case on focus. Within the umbrella of 5G, other technologies are brought to the surface enabling new ways of communication with unprecedented effects on many sectors of society such as healthcare. This article focuses on a practical implementation of a medical-oriented Internet of Skills application, where the doctor is able to perform remote diagnosis and palpation with the use of cutting edge haptic technology. We present an examination of the main medical socio-economic drivers, as well as the description of specific technologies used in this practical demonstration. All this, with the main objective of delivering a proof of concept for the design and planning of multi-modal communications in 5G.

This article presents the overall design methodology followed for an open source Wireless Sensor Networking platform that aims at the remote energy monitoring of home appliances in real-time using web technologies. This platform can be a paradigm for building open source devices for smart metering and home energy management by controlling electric loads, thus contributing to the development of the smart grid infrastructure. The Polytropon platform is designed as a research tool for experimenting with the various hardware and software components that can be integrated in the nodes, by following the open source hardware and software guidelines for development