Simulation and measurement: Feasibility study of Tactile Internet applications for mmWave virtual reality

Abstract

Numerous wearable technology companies have recently developed several head-mounted display (HMD) products for virtual reality (VR) services. 5G wireless networks aim at providing high-quality 3D multimedia services such as VR, augmented reality, and mixed reality. In this study, we examine the application of millimeter-wave (mmWave) technology to realize low-latency wireless communication between an HMD and its content server. However, the propagation characteristics of mmWave present several challenges such as the deafness, blockage, and beam alignment problems, and interference among content servers. In this study, we focus on an environment that provides VR services in the mmWave band and introduce existing techniques for addressing such challenges. In addition, we employ a commercialized IEEE 802.11ad VR dongle to measure the actual data rate of an mmWave VR application and identify the degree to which the performance deteriorates when the above problems occur. Finally, we verify the feasibility of the proposed solutions through a simulation of several VR scenarios in the mmWave band.