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Toward Wireless Human-Machine Collaboration in the 6G Era

Gaoyang Pang, Wanchun Liu, Chentao Yue, Daniel E. Quevedo, Karl H. Johansson, Branka Vucetic, Yonghui Li

TL;DR

The generic architecture and key components of wireless HMC (WHMC) are introduced and the network topologies of WHMC are presented and highlighted to highlight impactful applications across various industry sectors.

Abstract

The next industrial revolution, Industry 5.0, will be driven by advanced technologies that foster human-machine collaboration (HMC). It will leverage human creativity, judgment, and dexterity with the machine's strength, precision, and speed to improve productivity, quality of life, and sustainability. Wireless communications, empowered by the emerging capabilities of sixth-generation (6G) wireless networks, will play a central role in enabling flexible, scalable, and low-cost deployment of geographically distributed HMC systems. In this article, we first introduce the generic architecture and key components of wireless HMC (WHMC). We then present the network topologies of WHMC and highlight impactful applications across various industry sectors. Driven by the prospective applications, we elaborate on new performance metrics that researchers and practitioners may consider during the exploration and implementation of WHMC and discuss new design methodologies. We then summarize the communication requirements and review promising state-of-the-art technologies that can support WHMC. Finally, we present a proof-of-concept case study and identify several open challenges.

Toward Wireless Human-Machine Collaboration in the 6G Era

TL;DR

The generic architecture and key components of wireless HMC (WHMC) are introduced and the network topologies of WHMC are presented and highlighted to highlight impactful applications across various industry sectors.

Abstract

The next industrial revolution, Industry 5.0, will be driven by advanced technologies that foster human-machine collaboration (HMC). It will leverage human creativity, judgment, and dexterity with the machine's strength, precision, and speed to improve productivity, quality of life, and sustainability. Wireless communications, empowered by the emerging capabilities of sixth-generation (6G) wireless networks, will play a central role in enabling flexible, scalable, and low-cost deployment of geographically distributed HMC systems. In this article, we first introduce the generic architecture and key components of wireless HMC (WHMC). We then present the network topologies of WHMC and highlight impactful applications across various industry sectors. Driven by the prospective applications, we elaborate on new performance metrics that researchers and practitioners may consider during the exploration and implementation of WHMC and discuss new design methodologies. We then summarize the communication requirements and review promising state-of-the-art technologies that can support WHMC. Finally, we present a proof-of-concept case study and identify several open challenges.
Paper Structure (39 sections, 5 figures, 1 table)

This paper contains 39 sections, 5 figures, 1 table.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Envisioned WHMC
  3. WHMC and Its Core Components
  4. Network Topologies of WHMC
  5. Agent autonomy
  6. Agent multiplicity
  7. Agent geography
  8. Applications Empowered by WHMC
  9. Agriculture
  10. Transportation
  11. Healthcare
  12. Performance Metrics of WHMC
  13. Design Methodologies of WHMC
  14. QoC-aware codesign of HTC and MTC
  15. QoC-oriented control-communication codesign
  16. ...and 24 more sections

Figures (5)

  • Figure 1: Illustration of WHMC in advanced manufacturing with abstracted key components.
  • Figure 2: WHMC topology at a glance of agent autonomy between human H, and machine M, for a collaboration task T.
  • Figure 3: The design methodology for WHMC, where multi-goal-oriented QoC bridges the fundamental design and the desired collaboration goals.
  • Figure 4: The wireless cart-pole system for the case study of WHMC.
  • Figure 5: Evaluation of WHMC: (a) Impacts of decision-makers on the control performance. (b) Impacts of communications on the control performance.