第13章ハイブリッドマルチクラウドのデジタルソリューション開発

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

• Analyze specific applications of AI through XR technology

• Understand the impact of the development of supersociety capabilities, including nanotechnology, robotics, and supercomputers

• Discuss the advantages and challenges faced by the development of IANS and supersystems

Recent advances with superintelligent AI allow for the seamless vision of incorporating networked autonomous systems into reality. These systems, known as intelligent autonomous networked supersystems (IANS), are becoming the next major development for chained computing, where intelligent chains of autonomous machines work together as a system to make decisions and take action. IANS are highly interconnected AIs, forming complex networks that collaborate while utilizing quick and extended exchange of data to promote growth.

In this section, we will analyze current applications of IANS and supersystems that are implemented and traffic large-scale systems and businesses with their applications. By going through real-life examples, we can evaluate the potential and critically examine the current challenges and limitations in the development and deployment of extensive IANS and similar supersystems that use intelligence to improve industries such as health care.

Today’s web incorporates hybrid multiclouds that continuously evolve. As shown in Figure 13.15, these hybrid multiclouds power myriad innovative technology components that make it possible to create innovative solutions as the Web continues to evolve.

In particular, recent advances in mobility and networking, such as 5G, have made it possible to minimize the latency of traditional web and mobile applications. This has led to a proliferation of social networks that enable efficient access to various types of content and global instant communication and collaboration. In addition, virtualization technology has made it possible to create powerful cloud platforms that facilitate access to infrastructure and platform services, as described earlier in this chapter.

This progress is leading to global acceptance of the next-generation hybrid Web 3.0, which makes it possible to combine traditional Web 2.0 applications with blockchain 2.0 capabilities. Blockchain is characterized by real-time transactions, scalability, and unlimited decentralized storage. Further improvements are on the horizon to provide a more scalable, fast, unlimited, and completely secure blockchain infrastructure via Blockchain 3.0/ 4.0.

To build on this, Web 4.0 and 5.0 are already on the way as the metaverse is being positioned as the successor to today’s Internet. Metaverse is a concept that originated in the 1992 novel Snow Crash, in which people use the metaverse as an escape from a dystopian world (an idea also later explored in the novel and film Ready Player One). Metaverse embodies a unified immersive digital world that is tightly connected to the physical world. In the metaverse, people can interact without physical or geographic constraints and enjoy a compelling sense of social presence.

The metaverse is characterized by two key features. It is persistent, with its collective network of 3-D-rendered virtual elements and spaces available throughout the world 24/7. It is also shared, giving a vast number of users simultaneous access and the ability to use the metaverse to interact. The metaverse functions with six key layers that include

• infrastructure (e.g., chips and processors, cloud infrastructure),

• access/interface (e.g., haptics, headsets, smartglasses),

• virtualization tools (e.g., 3-D design engines, avatar development),

• virtual worlds (centralized and decentralized),

• economic infrastructure (e.g., payments, crypto wallets, and non-fungible token (NFT) marketplaces using NFTs with a digital signature that cannot be exchanged or equated to another item), and

• experiences (e.g., gaming, virtual real estate/concerts).

As of 2024, the online worlds promoted by metaverse proponents are not fully formed and functional just yet, but platforms and games like Second Life, Roblox, and Decentraland are indicators of the future once the metaverse is fully operational. The metaverse is expected to rely on technologies such as virtual reality headsets, advanced haptic feedback, and 3-D modeling tools to power immersive digital environments. To understand the potential of the metaverse and mixed reality technology, let’s consider their applications in the areas of education and health care.

Mixed reality can provide visuals and relatable examples to help students perceive theoretical information in complex topics such as biology, anatomy, physics, and math. Medical students can learn anatomy and practice examining the body with XR apps that represent the human body inside and out. Chemistry students can conduct experiments using different chemical combinations and see results with no harm to students and school property. Nursing students can use simulations to learn and prepare for unique situations that they’ll encounter in clinical settings. Students can also take field trips to museums, exhibitions, and theaters all over the world without leaving the classroom.

In operating rooms, clinics, hospital wards, and medical training settings, mixed reality speeds up diagnoses, increases access to health-care facilities, cuts down on infection transmissions, and improves medical care outcomes. XR enables holographic overlaying of images and data onto real-life situations such as surgical operations, remote consultation, and treatment, opening new avenues in health care.

In cardiology, initial XR health-care applications created interactive visualizations that enabled pediatric cardiologists to virtually demonstrate complex congenital heart problems to their students and patients. XR techniques reduce the time required to diagnose cardiology issues, and surgeons who use Microsoft HoloLens headsets during procedures can interact with the hologram using hand movements and benefit from a wider field of view, which improves surgical outcomes. In one application, XR technology enables surgeons to see patients’ 3-D computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans directly. This will make it easier for surgeons to identify the exact area of the patient’s body that needs surgery. This could be especially beneficial for emergency surgeries that must be performed as quickly as possible to save a patient’s life. Preoperative simulations are made easier with XR, which creates customized 3-D models for each patient and visualizes the inside anatomy in a fully immersive environment. In complex surgical operations such as reconstructive surgeries, holographic overlays can substantially help surgeons examine the bones and determine the flow of blood arteries. XR may also be helpful for pain relief. In Denmark, Aalborg University researchers studied the potential of XR to provide pain relief for phantom limbs. It may be possible to delude the brain of a person with an amputation into thinking it still controls their missing limb, which may assist in reducing the agony associated with phantom limbs.

Using XR headsets and 3-D XR, medical practitioners are able to review patient histories vocally, discuss with medical specialists, and record patient records. XR-powered headsets can eliminate the need for doctors to review written reports, analyze patient data, and deliver findings in real time, resulting in faster and more precise diagnostics.

XR may also provide paramedics with remote support to address emergencies. With XR, paramedics can remotely get support from senior medical professionals. This can help them make more accurate and faster medical decisions, efficiently provide emergency medical aid, and improve patient outcomes.

Lastly, XR can help provide remote care to patients with mobility issues. It can also visually project simulations for different situations, offer ease of access to facilitators remotely, increase patient engagement by providing a safe and controlled immersive environment, and leverage telehealth appointments.

The Autism Glass Project at Stanford University’s medical school used XR to help children with autism manage their emotions and identify related facial expressions. There are many other possible applications of the same technology, including the use of VR psychotherapy to address mental health conditions and disorders and treat the cause rather than the effect of such disorders by combining VR technology with big data analytics, cloud computing, machine learning, IoT, and blockchain. Affective Interaction through Wearable Computing and Cloud Technology (AIWAC) technology provides a full-stack solution aiming at effective remote emotional health-care assistance. The solution components allow collaborative data collection via wearable devices, enhanced sentiment analysis and forecasting models, and controllable affective interactions.

As the metaverse evolves, XR-driven technology may be applied in various industries for uses such as the following:

• equipment assembly, maintenance, and repair

• engineering and architectural design (e.g., experiencing a virtual building before it is built)

• market research (e.g., experiencing a virtual product that does not yet exist)

• entertainment (e.g., cinema, music, and sports)

• product advertising and promotion

• computer games

Mixed reality technology also has the capacity to promote social good. For example, applications that combine XR with other innovative technologies to support people with disabilities have already been developed, including technology that alerts people who are blind when rapidly moving objects are headed in their direction.