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Enabling Next-Generation Cloud-Connected Bionic Limbs Through 5G Connectivity

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Enabling Next-Generation Cloud-Connected Bionic Limbs Through 5G Connectivity
Authors: Karaali, Ozan, Farag, Hossam, Dosen, Strahinja, Stefanovic, Cedomir
Source: Karaali, O, Farag, H, Dosen, S & Stefanovic, C 2025, 'Enabling Next-Generation Cloud-Connected Bionic Limbs Through 5G Connectivity', IEEE Internet of Things Magazine, vol. 8, no. 4, pp. 45-51. https://doi.org/10.1109/IOTM.001.2400268
Publication Status: Preprint
Publisher Information: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), 2025.
Publication Year: 2025
Subject Terms: Prosthetic limbs, Networking and Internet Architecture (cs.NI), FOS: Computer and information sciences, People with disabilities, User experience, Time factors, Internet of Things, Wireless communication, Servers, Edge computing, Reliability, Biomimetics, Networking and Internet Architecture, Limbs, 5G mobile communication, Human-machine systems, Cloud computing
Description: Despite the recent advancements in human-machine interfacing, contemporary assistive bionic limbs face critical challenges, including limited computational capabilities, high latency, and unintuitive control mechanisms, leading to suboptimal user experience and abandonment rates. Addressing these challenges requires a shift toward intelligent, interconnected solutions powered by advances in Internet of Things systems, particularly wireless connectivity and edge/cloud computing. This article presents a conceptual approach to transform bionic limbs by harnessing the pervasive connectivity of 5G and the significant computational power of cloud and edge servers, equipping them with capabilities not available hitherto. The system leverages a hierarchical distributed-computing architecture that integrates local, edge, and cloud computing layers. Time-critical tasks are handled by a local processing unit, while compute-intensive tasks are offloaded to edge and cloud servers, leveraging the high data rate, reliable and low latency capabilities of advanced cellular networks. We perform a proof-of-concept validation in a 5G testbed showing that such networks are capable of achieving data rates and fulfilling latency requirements for a natural prosthetic control, allowing for offloading of compute-intensive jobs to the edge/cloud servers. This is the first step towards the realization and real-world validation of cloud-connected bionic limb systems.
Document Type: Article
File Description: application/pdf
ISSN: 2576-3199
2576-3180
DOI: 10.1109/iotm.001.2400268
DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2506.11744
Access URL: http://arxiv.org/abs/2506.11744
Rights: IEEE Copyright
arXiv Non-Exclusive Distribution
Accession Number: edsair.doi.dedup.....513b58658948f188db32b0fcf8107ef3
Database: OpenAIRE
Description
Abstract:Despite the recent advancements in human-machine interfacing, contemporary assistive bionic limbs face critical challenges, including limited computational capabilities, high latency, and unintuitive control mechanisms, leading to suboptimal user experience and abandonment rates. Addressing these challenges requires a shift toward intelligent, interconnected solutions powered by advances in Internet of Things systems, particularly wireless connectivity and edge/cloud computing. This article presents a conceptual approach to transform bionic limbs by harnessing the pervasive connectivity of 5G and the significant computational power of cloud and edge servers, equipping them with capabilities not available hitherto. The system leverages a hierarchical distributed-computing architecture that integrates local, edge, and cloud computing layers. Time-critical tasks are handled by a local processing unit, while compute-intensive tasks are offloaded to edge and cloud servers, leveraging the high data rate, reliable and low latency capabilities of advanced cellular networks. We perform a proof-of-concept validation in a 5G testbed showing that such networks are capable of achieving data rates and fulfilling latency requirements for a natural prosthetic control, allowing for offloading of compute-intensive jobs to the edge/cloud servers. This is the first step towards the realization and real-world validation of cloud-connected bionic limb systems.
ISSN:25763199
25763180
DOI:10.1109/iotm.001.2400268