Toward 6G: A New Era of Convergence (1st edition)

This book covers the emerging Tactile Internet based on multisensory haptic communications as applied to the enablement of next-generation 6G mobile networks. In addition, the authors include their current work and recent progress on decentralizing the Tactile Internet in general and edge computing in particular via Ethereum blockchain technologies, most notably the so-called decentralized autonomous organization (DAO). The authors elaborate on how this particular feature of DAOs (i.e., automation at the center and humans at the edges) can be exploited in the emerging concept of human-agent-robot teamwork. Finally, the authors report on the state-of-the-art and our ongoing work on XR (including virtual/augmented/mixed reality). Specifically, the authors describe the implications of the transition from the current gadgets-based Internet to a future Internet that is evolving from bearables (e.g., smartphone), moves towards wearables (e.g., Google and Levi's smart jacket), and then finally progresses to nearables.