Advancing human–computer communication for the internet of senses: a UAV scenario
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School of Electrical Engineering |
Doctoral thesis (article-based)
| Defence date: 2025-12-12
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Language
en
Pages
118 + app. 86
Series
Aalto University publication series Doctoral Theses, 251/2025
Abstract
The rapid evolution in network technologies, device capabilities, Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), and 5G communication have ushered in a new era of immersive multimedia applications, enabling interactive streaming, virtual collaboration, and novel forms of human–machine interaction. This evolution has enabled the emergence of the Internet of Senses (IoS), a paradigm that transcends traditional audio-visual interaction by integrating multi-sensory experiences. The IoS envisions a seamless fusion of digital and physical experiences, augmenting human senses through advanced technologies including AI, robotics, and next-generation communication systems. Potential applications span across diverse domains, such as immersive virtual tourism, remote healthcare and telesurgery, sensory-rich e-commerce, collaborative industrial training in simulated environments, and the teleoperation of robotic platforms, including Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). By engaging multiple senses (sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste), the IoS aims to deliver experiences that feel indistinguishable from physical reality, with far-reaching implications for accessibility, user engagement, and the development of a Digital Twin (DT) of the universe. However, realizing truly immersive multi-sensory interaction presents substantial challenges. These include achieving ultra-low latency while ensuring high Quality of Experience (QoE), optimizing bandwidth usage, synchronizing heterogeneous sensory media, and maintaining reliable transmission under high-mobility conditions. Such challenges are particularly pronounced in mobile teleoperation scenarios, especially for UAVs, where high handover rates and unreliable connections to Base Stations (BSs) in cellular networks exacerbate latency and reliability issues, making performance and precision critical for safety and operational effectiveness. This thesis addresses these issues by investigating how a platform for the IoS can be developed to extend beyond sight and hearing, enabling multi-sensory telepresence and virtual interaction. The research examines methods for reducing latency in immersive service delivery and enabling effective haptic feedback for accurate six Degrees of Freedom (6DoF) interaction. Based on these methods, a real-world testbed was implemented, on which Reinforcement Learning (RL) techniques were investigated to enhance system adaptability, and semantic communication approaches were explored for efficient compression of sensory data. The research also focuses on optimizing sensory data transmission in UAV-based scenarios to enhance remote control, user immersion, and overall quality of experience. By tackling these challenges, the thesis contributes to the development of future-ready immersive systems capable of revolutionizing human-computer interaction and redefining digital experiences across multiple industries.Description
Supervising professor
Jäntti, Riku, Prof., Aalto University, Department of Information and Communications Engineering, FinlandThesis advisor
Debbah, Mérouane, Prof., Khalifa University, UAEOther note
Parts
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[Publication 1]: T. Taleb, N. Sehad, Z. Nadir and J. Song. VR-Based Immersive Service Management in B5G Mobile Systems: A UAV Command and Control Use Case. IEEE Internet of Things Journal, vol. 10, no. 6, pp. 5349-5363, 2023.
Full text in Acris/Aaltodoc: https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:aalto-202401041238DOI: 10.1109/JIOT.2022.3222282 View at publisher
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[Publication 2]: N. Sehad, B. Cherif, I. Khadraoui, W. Hamidouche, F. Bader, R. Jäntti and M. Debbah. Locomotion-Based UAV Control Toward the Internet of Senses. IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems II: Express Briefs, vol. 70, no. 5, pp. 1804-1808, 2023.
Full text in Acris/Aaltodoc: https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:aalto-202303222478DOI: 10.1109/TCSII.2023.3257363 View at publisher
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[Publication 3]: N. Sehad, X. Tu, A. Rajasekaran, H. Hellaoui, R. Jäntti and M. Debbah. Towards enabling reliable immersive teleoperation through Digital Twin: A UAV command-and-control use case. IEEE Global Communications Conference (GLOBECOM), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, pp. 6420-6425, Dec 2023.
DOI: 10.1109/GLOBECOM54140.2023.10437527 View at publisher
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[Publication 4]: N. Sehad, L. Bariah, W. Hamidouche, H. Hellaoui, R. Jäntti and M. Debbah. Generative AI for Immersive Communication: The Next Frontier in Internet-of-Senses Through 6G. IEEE Communications Magazine, vol. 63, no. 2, pp. 31-43, 2024.
Full text in Acris/Aaltodoc: https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:aalto-202501151203DOI: 10.1109/MCOM.001.2400199 View at publisher
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[Publication 5]: M. K. Sharma, I. Farhat, C. -F. Liu, N. Sehad, W. Hamidouche and M. Debbah. Real-Time Immersive Aerial Video Streaming: A Comprehensive Survey, Benchmarking, and Open Challenges. IEEE Open Journal of the Communications Society, vol. 5, pp. 5680-5705, 2024.
Full text in Acris/Aaltodoc: https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:aalto-202409186420DOI: 10.1109/OJCOMS.2024.3455763 View at publisher
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[Publication 6]: N. Sehad, J. Sidhu, A. Bentaleb, H. Hellaoui, R. Jäntti and M. Debbah. Learning Based Rate Adapter for UAV Streaming. In IEEE 34th International Conference on Computer Communications and Networks (ICCCN), Tokyo, Japan, pp. 1-6, 11133981, Aug 2025.
Full text in Acris/Aaltodoc: https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:aalto-202510087529DOI: 10.1109/ICCCN65249.2025 View at publisher