Toward 6G: The Internet of No Things

与前几代相比，未来的6G移动网络将具有变革性，并将彻底改变从连接物到连接智能的无线演进。6G将在实现尼古拉·特斯拉的预言中发挥重要作用，“当无线技术得到完美应用时，整个地球将变成一个巨大的大脑。”为此，6G将提供信息和通信技术基础设施，使最终用户能够感知到自己被几乎零延迟的服务和巨大的认知能力所包围。在6G时代，人们还强烈认为移动终端的性质将发生变化，智能移动机器人有望发挥更重要的作用。此外，6G设想的用户体验将从经过充分探索的视听通信转向提供所有五种人类感官以及符合IEEE数字感官倡议的其他感官，从而实现6G服务的深度个性化，可以预测未来事件并为用户提供良好的建议。在本提案中，我们认为6G不仅应该在高频频段探索更多频谱，更重要的是，融合驱动技术趋势——最值得注意的是，多感官扩展现实（XR）、互联机器人、人机交互和分散区块链技术——以迎来所谓的6G后智能手机时代，因为智能可穿戴设备正日益取代智能手机的功能。我们还注意到，根据6Genesis旗舰计划发布的全球首个6G白皮书，6G将比5G更加以人为本，5G主要关注垂直行业。虽然5G应该是关于万物互联的，但变革性的6G可能只是一切的对立面，也就是说，什么都没有，或者更技术地说，没有东西。通过利用人工智能增强的多接入边缘计算、智能移动机器人和区块链技术的融合，该提案将帮助实现无物联网，作为迎接6G后智能手机时代的重要跳板。具体来说，我们提出的研究活动旨在实现以下三个目标：(i)通过本地连接的人类化身/机器人集体中的社交机器人进行有说服力的计算，（ii）设计和调查可信赖的区块链预言机，用于将集体人类智能链接到智能合约上，以及（iii）深度多元宇宙XR，用于揭示被进化隐藏的现实的真实本质。新兴关键技术融合的重要性是后智能手机时代的核心，预计6G标准和支持设备将在2030年左右推出。这个新平台将包括所有人类的集体智慧与所有机器的集体行为相结合，加上自然的智慧，再加上从这个整体中产生的任何行为。

In contrast to previous generations, future 6G mobile networks will be transformative and will revolutionize the wireless evolution from connected things to connected intelligence. 6G will play a significant role in advancing Nikola Tesla's prophecy that "when wireless is perfectly applied, the whole Earth will be converted into a huge brain." Toward this end, 6G will provide an information and communication technologies infrastructure that enables end users to perceive themselves as being surrounded by virtually zero-latency services and immense cognitive capabilities. In 6G, there is also a strong notion that the nature of mobile terminals will change, whereby intelligent mobile robots are anticipated to play a more important role. Furthermore, 6G envisions user experiences to go from well-explored audio-visual communications to the delivery of all five human senses as well as other senses in line with the IEEE Digital Senses Initiative, leading to a deepened personalization of 6G services that could predict future events and provide good advice for the user. In this proposal, we argue that 6G should not only explore more spectrum at high-frequency bands but, more importantly, converge driving technological trends - most notably, multi sensory extended reality (XR), connected robotics, human-machine interaction, and decentralized blockchain technologies - to usher in the so-called 6G post-smartphone era, given that smart wearables are increasingly replacing the functionalities of smartphones. We also note that according to the world's first 6G white paper published by the 6Genesis Flagship Program, 6G will become more human-centric than 5G, which primarily focused on industry verticals. While 5G was supposed to be about the Internet of Everything, to be transformative 6G might be just about the opposite of Everything, that is, Nothing or, more technically, No Things. By exploiting the convergence of artificial-intelligence-enhanced multi-access edge computing, intelligent mobile robots, and blockchain technologies, this proposal will help realize the Internet of No Things as an important stepping stone toward ushering in the 6G post-smartphone era. Specifically, our proposed research activities aim at achieving the following three objectives: (i) Persuasive computing via social robots in locally connected human-avatar/robot collectives, (ii) design and investigation of trustworthy blockchain oracles for on-chaining collective human intelligence onto smart contracts, and (iii) deep Multiverse XR for unveiling the true nature of reality hidden by evolution. The importance of convergence of emerging key technologies lies at the heart of the 6G post-smartphone era with standards and enabled devices anticipated to roll out around 2030. This new platform will include the collective intelligence of all humans combined with the collective behavior of all machines, plus the intelligence of nature, plus whatever behavior emerges from this whole.