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Fig. 2: Design study carried out by network equipment supplier Ericsson: zero energy devices can benefit more than just civilisation. For example, a 6G IoT radio sensor could measure ecosystem data and transfer it to a processing centre. Credit: Ericsson
communications with small amounts of data. The radio network for a smart city must connect hundreds or even thousands of identical end- point devices, many of them battery powered. Such applications were inconceivable when mobile communications were first developed but now define the 5G concept. The main focus has shifted from people to devices or machines and the internet of things (IoT).
THE 6G VISION Technical development is closely aligned with the demands of different industries. The visions for 6G vary widely and merge to form a fascinating landscape. Bringing this landscape to life will require evolution of existing technologies but also capabilities that are mostly not yet available, but which are within reach on the medium term. The interaction between all these technologies will create the sixth mobile communications generation, but the term fails to describe the true potential of 6G.
DIGITAL TWINS ON THE HOLODECK Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg announced the metaverse in autumn 2021 and also changed the company name to Meta. With that he gave once gimmicky VR headsets new market relevance. They are the main tool for implementing Zuckerberg’s vision of extended reality. The company has the means, since VR headset manufacturer Oculus is part of the Meta empire. Reimagining the original idea behind the VR headset is ambitious and visionary. Specialists use the glasses, for example, to project a 3D model of a part to be mounted into the real image – together with information on how to handle the part.
autonomous driving, 5G applications include Industry 4.0, smart cities and smart homes. Rather than a single type of M2M
communication, many different types are needed. Just look at a connected factory where end-to- end signal transit times in the lower millisecond range need to be combined with minimum latency variation and highest reliability. Smart cities or smart homes have completely different requirements. A smart home needs utility meters, sensors and control elements for everyday items such as waste bins or appliances to remotely provide information or automate processes. These applications only require sporadic radio
The person wearing the glasses can even interact manually with the holographic projection as if it were real. This includes touching and manipulating the projection. Making such a system available in the millions and affordable for everyone is Zuckerberg’s vision and one of the guiding scenarios for 6G.
Extended reality – the combination of real and virtual worlds – encompasses a number of other substantial visions if taken to its logical conclusion. Ultimately, the long-term goal is total immersion into a new world that is experienced as if it were real. This includes elements such as three-dimensional optical resolution capable of fully stimulating human eyesight, an appropriate
Fig 3: 6G is set to meld the physical world (environment, machines), the digital world (data, virtual environments) and the human world in a symbiotic way, as shown here in the vison presented by the European Hex-X initiative. Copyright: Annette Birkenfeld, Getty Images
acoustic environment, instantaneous reaction by all synthetic objects (tactile internet) and finally, a credible representation of all of these things. Some of these objects have to match up with twins in the real world.
The digital twin is an interactive, virtual representation of a real object or machine that can be manipulated from the metaworld. The ability to operate machines from practically anywhere has potentially far-reaching consequences for the work environment and society at large. One potential impact is the revival of rural areas, since people will no longer need to move to urban areas for work. When thinking about scenarios like this, you simply cannot ignore 6G. VR headsets do not have the processing power required for the immersive artificial world of the metaverse. And if we want the headset to be compact and look like regular glasses, we need external computing power. If this processing power comes from the cloud, 6G is absolutely necessary. Transferring extremely large quantities of data to the glasses with video resolutions of at least 8K in stereo requires transport capacities of several hundred gigabits per second along with signal transit times of a tenth of a millisecond to enable natural reactions in real time. 5G does not have the capacity for this. Networks will also need to allocate computing power intelligently for the various 6G services, and this is where artificial intelligence comes in. In fact, AI will be ubiquitous in 6G networks.
THE REAL INTERNET OF THINGS Although the internet of things is slowly taking shape and industrial and transportation applications have received a boost from 5G, universal connectivity is only possible with 6G. Based on its technical configuration as well as its capacity, 6G should be capable of integrating any number of objects in homes, industries, road transport or infrastructure. This opens up networking opportunities that were never possible before.
Table 1: Comparison of 5G performance data and KPIs discussed for 6G. Instrumentation Monthly February 2024
Embedded radio sensors can help monitor the condition of bridges and highways, making it easy to see when maintenance is needed. The RFID
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