Digitally embodied lifespan neurocognitive development and Tactile Internet: Transdisciplinary challenges and opportunities

Abstract

Mechanisms underlying perceptual processing and inference undergo substantial changes across the lifespan. If utilized properly, technologies could support and buffer the relatively more limited neurocognitive functions in the still developing or aging brains. Over the past decade, a new type of digital communication infrastructure, known as the “Tactile Internet (TI),” is emerging in the fields of telecommunication, sensor and actuator technologies and machine learning. A key aim of the TI is to enable humans to experience and interact with remote and virtual environments through digitalized multimodal sensory signals that also include the haptic (tactile and kinesthetic) sense. Besides their applied focus, such technologies may offer new opportunities for the research tapping into mechanisms of digitally embodied perception and cognition as well as how they may differ across age cohorts. However, there are challenges in translating empirical findings and theories about neurocognitive mechanisms of perception and lifespan development into the day-to-day practices of engineering research and technological development. On the one hand, the capacity and efficiency of digital communication are affected by signal transmission noise according to Shannon’s (1949) Information Theory. On the other hand, neurotransmitters, which have been postulated as means that regulate the signal-to-noise ratio of neural information processing (e.g., Servan-Schreiber et al., 1990), decline substantially during aging. Thus, here we highlight neuronal gain control of perceptual processing and perceptual inference to illustrate potential interfaces for developing age-adjusted technologies to enable plausible multisensory digital embodiments for perceptual and cognitive interactions in remote or virtual environments.

Cortical processes of multisensory plausibility modulation of vibrotactile perception in virtual environments in middled-aged and older adults

“…For instance, future research may explore approaches for also integrating neural correlates of contextual expectations to improve generative models for synthesizing plausible vibrotactile stimulations 64 , which currently are only based on subjective ratings of perceptual experiences. Given current results, a higher degree of multisensory congruency in virtual scenarios of multimodal stimulations with higher sensory intensities need to be considered when designing age-inclusive VR and digital technologies 10 to support daily cognitive, perceptual, and sensorimotor functions of the growing aging populations worldwide. Although in the current work we only focus on effects of multisensory contextual plausibility on vibrotactile perception, previous research suggests broader implications of haptic augmentation technologies for enhancing postural control 65 , 66 , locomotion 66 , 67 , and hand movments 68 that are highly relevant for rehabilitation therapies in the elderly and patients for whom sensorimotor functions are compromised either due to gradual declines 69 , neuroimmune degenerations, or acute brain lesions 70 .…”

“…Facing challenges of global aging, it is crucial to leverage new technologies to buffer declining neurocognitive functions in older adults and to complement existing intervention methods 9 . To this end, it is important to better understand how neurocognitive declines in older ages may require special adjustments of the envisioned technological supports to develop age-inclusive technologies 10 to serve the growing aging populations.…”

“…Advances in communication and other digital technologies in the past decade are creating new digital environments for humans 10 . Of note, virtual or augmented reality (VR/AR) are increasingly used in lab-based experiments to enable more naturalistic studies of human behaviours 11 , 12 .…”

“…However, there are still considerable concerns about the discrepancies between real and virtual experiences 15 , which are due, in part, to the main reliance on vision and hearing without integrating other modalities 16 . Furthermore, for gerontological applications it would be necessary to evaluate age-related differences in neurocognitive processes of multisensory perception and action enroute to the developments of suitable VR-/AR-technologies to exploit them for augmenting perceptual and cognitive functions in old age 10 .…”

“…Possibilities to integrate touch into digital and communication technologies are presently being intensively researched and evaluated 16 , 18 , 19 . When these technologies are matured, they could provide new multisensory experiences for humans to perceive in virtual (or remote) environments through digitalized tactile and kinematic information 10 , 20 , besides visual and auditory signals.…”