The Tactile Internet: Touch Me, Now You Can! | Mischa Dohler | TEDxKingsCollegeLondon
Kings College London pioneers a "tactile internet" capable of transmitting real-time touch sensation globally by combining robotics, AI, and networking, moving beyond current information-only internet architectures. The speaker uses the need to perform remote surgeries or teach the piano as central proofs, overcoming the physics limitation of signal speed by predicting actions. The ultimate potential for this technology is highlighted through its application in healthcare, education, and personal connection. ## Speakers & Context - Speaker: Unnamed presenter from Kings College London. - Collaboration: Working with colleagues globally and the Center for Robotics. - Interaction: Conducted "reality check" interviews on the streets of London with various individuals (food blogger, artist, media worker, finance expert). ## Theses & Positions - The current internet infrastructure (fixed, mobile, IoT) transmits only information (video, audio, data) but fails to transmit physical touch. - The goal is to build a "tactile internet" to transmit real-time tactile sensation to any point on Earth. - This represents a massive transformation from an "information delivery Network to a skill set labor delivery Network." - The highest hurdle is overcoming the speed of light limitation for real-time interaction (latency must be < 1 millisecond). - The potential impacts are revolutionary for health (remote surgery), education (remote piano lessons), and personal connection (remote kissing). ## Concepts & Definitions - **Internet:** Infrastructure for transmitting information (video, audio, data). - **Things Internet (IoT):** World where all objects, sensors, and actuators are connected in real time (e.g., knowing a cow farts in New Zealand). - **Tactile Internet:** Proposed next internet phase that transmits real-time touch sensation. - **Tactile Codec:** A necessary component, analogous to video or sound codecs, that allows meshing up different sensing streams. - **Artificially Intelligence Coefficients:** Data transmitted to allow predictive engines to compensate for latency and beat the speed of light limitation. ## Mechanisms & Processes - **Core Technology Combination:** Combining robotics, artificial intelligence, and communications/networking. - **Data Transmission Requirement:** Must be faster than the latency limit (no more than 1 millisecond delay between action and reaction). - **Overcoming Speed of Light:** Implementing two predictive engines on opposite sides of the planet to predict imminent actions, transmitting only updated AI coefficients upon change. - **Resilience Improvement:** Working on making the network highly resilient to prevent failures during critical applications like remote surgery. ## Timeline & Sequence - **Two years ago:** Speaker met Anthony Salim, who needed a solution for servicing his private jet fleet (fly to US or build facility in Asia). - **Past Status:** Existing internet was confined to information transfer. - **Present Focus:** Developing the tactile internet infrastructure. ## Named Entities - **Anthony Salim:** Billionaire who presented the initial problem for the network concept. - **Professor G fettweis:** Mentor who coined the term "tactile internet." - **Kings College London:** Institution pioneering the technology. - **Center for Robotics:** Partner in developing the necessary components. - **Center for Telecom Research:** Partner in making the network more resilient. ## Numbers & Data - Latency threshold for real-time feel: **more than a millisecond** results in cyber sickness. - Target transmission speed: **within a millisecond**. - Distance tested for speed limits: **150 kilometers** (one way). - Time frame for transmitting necessary updates: **50 milliseconds** to **100 milliseconds**. - Age of the child who realized the potential: **6 years old**. ## Examples & Cases - **Anthony Salim's Problem:** How to service a fleet of private jets when the destination required either flying them to the U.S. or building an entirely new facility in Asia. - **Remote Surgery:** Utilizing King's College doctors to perform health checks or surgery in Sierra Leona. - **Education:** Using the technology to allow a speaker to teach a child in Africa how to play the piano. - **Artistic Collaboration:** Allowing two artists separated by countries to physically create a sculpture together remotely. - **Personal Connection:** The potential to see and feel a loved one, even across vast distances, to the point of allowing a simulated kiss. ## Tools, Tech & Products - **Tactile Sensor:** Device placed on the remote end to capture sensation data. - **Haptic Actuator:** Device on the local end that reproduces the transmitted feeling. - **Predictive Engines:** Two separate engines running on opposite sides of the planet to forecast actions. ## References Cited - None cited. ## Counterarguments & Caveats - The initial concept of using robotics/AI combination to solve Salim's fleet problem was deemed "a really ugly engineering name." - The speaker admits that building the network is "basically all an easy right to be honest with you except for one Minor Detail," which is breaking physics laws. ## Methodology - **Initial Framing:** Using an abstract concept (Internet) and evolving it into a tangible physical capability (touch). - **Scientific Approach:** Identifying the limiting factor (latency/speed of light) and designing a compensatory solution (predictive algorithms). - **User Validation:** Conducting street interviews in London to gauge public interest and practical use cases for the technology. ## Conclusions & Recommendations - The speaker believes the tactile internet is attainable, despite requiring breakthroughs in physics. - Recommendation is that the development must focus on making the technology robust enough to support high-stakes, critical applications first. - Final conclusion emphasizes that the technology has the potential to bring "love and peace to this planet." ## Implications & Consequences - The success of the tactile internet means moving beyond merely transmitting data to transmitting embodied human skill and sensation. - The technology could fundamentally redefine healthcare and international collaboration by eliminating physical travel constraints for skilled labor. ## Verbatim Moments - *"I want you to close your eyes and I want you to imagine the internet right what do you see do you see Facebook online shopping Sasha Gray Twitter LinkedIn right?"* - *"there's one thing you don't see anymore and that is cables computers electricity Supply you basically totally forgot about this massive infrastructure underlying the internet today"* - *"we are currently designing which is very very exciting really which is the things internet so the Internet of Things"* - *"what we're doing right now here at Kings College London and with our colleagues globally we are pioneer a totally new internet which would allow us to transmit touch in real time to any point on this planet"* - *"I called it back then closing the data cycle"* - *"I need a Happ actuator which reproduces that feeling"* - *"if the delay between between action and reaction is more than a millisecond you get Cyber sick"* - *"the holy grail and that's what we do with our best guyses in artificial intelligence is essentially beating this limit on the speed of light"* - *"it would be like the next big thing it could be like changing amazing"* - *"if we were on a different planet we could start to I don't know manipulate the create something in a different world that perhaps the human couldn't go to"* - *"it took again a child 6 years old to figure out that the ttile internet in 2030 will be used to bring love and peace to this planet"*