Tactile Electronics Meets Softwarised Networks.

The future Tactile Internet with Human in the Loop (TaHiL) [1] enables a perceived real-time interaction between a human and a remote physical or virtual object. Human intention needs to be inferred from data captured by sensors throughout the body and even the brain. Therefore, the prediction can happen already in a machine attached to the human body (or so-called a Body Computing Hub, BCH). This human-machine coaugmentation requires Tactile electronics [2] with extreme requirements, such as ultra-small, stretchable, and ultra-low-energy consumption, allowing for sensing at extremely low latency. However, for a human to interact with a real or virtual object across the globe, tactile electronics require tight integration with softwarised networks [3] , wireline or wireless, with extremely low latency. Such networks can also bring the computing capability to human’s proximity, such as a network edge, by leveraging Network Function Virtualization (NFV) and Software-Defined Networking (SDN). Even though critical, the integration between tactile electronics in a body area network (BAN) and external softwarised networks is uncovered in the literature. This paper explores vital connections between tactile electronics and fully softwarised networks, focusing on adapting all layers from electronics to network and application.