When you hear the term “internet” you probably think of the word in terms of what it can do. For example, how the global computer network allows your company to offer an online store that reaches customers across the country, as well as how it has led to the explosion of social media. As it turns out, the internet has had a number of specific variations over the years — from the mobile internet that focused on connecting people to the internet of things (IoT) that allows the exchange of data and info from devices.
Now, we have a new type of internet to get to know: the tactile internet. To understand how 2018 is considered to be the Year of the Tactile Internet and how it can impact businesses and industries, let’s start by looking at the definition of this new form of internet.
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Tactile Internet, Explained
The tactile internet is an internet network that combines a low latency, super short transit, high reliability and availability along with a high level of security. When it is combined with virtual or augmented reality for sensory or haptic (physical sensation) controls, the tactile internet can reduce reaction times to the millisecond. It can also influence the simulation of movements, as in the case of telesurgery and other uses. It will encompass human-to-machine and machine-to-machine interaction, and it will revolutionize the way certain tasks can be performed.
As for how the tactile internet will have an impact on certain business trends, products and services, consider the following examples.
Tactile Internet Meets 5G Technology
The upcoming launch of 5G wireless technology will have a big impact on the tactile internet. 5G is the 5th generation mobile network that will help interconnect people as well as connect and control machines, objects and devices. Thanks to 5G wireless capabilities, smart devices will be linked in real time and will offer tactile and haptic feedback to both customers, and the professionals that are serving them. To stay up to date with this emerging technology, business owners can budget for mobile devices with 5G wireless technology when they are released.
Tactical Internet’s Role in Medicine and More
A fascinating way that the tactile internet will have a tangible impact on people is through its use in medicine. By providing the aforementioned haptic feedback and delivering physical touch sensations in real time, as well as its high-speed connections, it will be quite plausible for a surgeon to move a robotic hand halfway across the world. More specifically, the low round-trip latency of 1millisecond that is part of the tactile internet will eliminate wait times as a physician deftly performs the remote surgical procedure. To expand on this idea a bit more, the immediate reaction times that the tactile internet will provide between humans and machines may replace the need for a hairdresser to be standing next to you in a salon cutting your hair, or a pilot to be present on an aircraft.
As time goes on, it will be fascinating to see how the tactile internet will impact more industries and services in addition to the ones mentioned above. The boundaries between the real world and the virtual world will blur, and thanks to the advent of 5G technology, our devices will be linked in real time.
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