Tata Consultancy Services To Create Touchy Feely 'Internet Of Actions'

The Japanese outpost of Indian services giant Tata Consultancy Services has revealed it is working on the "Internet of Actions" – an effort to bring the sense of touch to the internet.

Tata has paired with a Japanese upstart from Keio University, Motion Lib, to spearhead the endeavor.

TCS said it will eventually deliver a "new social infrastructure" by commercializing Motion Lib tech. But first and more practically, the company will create a demonstration environment for "real haptics" technology at its Digital Continuity Experience Center (DCEC) showroom.

TCS will also provide the cloud infrastructure to build a database of algorithms that describe physical actions typically executed by humans.

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Motion Lib's tech centers on a chip that promises to deliver accurate contact-generated haptic stimuli from objects, thus allowing damage-free mechanical handling of sensitive items.

It does so by combining position control, or the xyz coordinate, with force control, or the pressure applied by an object. That information is transmitted while tracking the user's movement to a ten-thousandth of a second, thus allowing the simulation of real touch and allowing for more dexterous interactions.

"Real haptics is a basic technology that has the potential to enrich our lives in various application fields. It really shines in applications that work with humans, especially near human life," enthused Motion Lib CEO Takahiro Mizoguchi in a canned statement.

Those applications could even include remote surgery, remote work for highly skilled artisans, or many other fields that require a physical presence. Many of the related applications will be logged in the TCS Internet of Actions library.

Advocates of the Internet of Actions tout it as an important element of the metaverse. By making it possible to interact with remote objects – real or imagined – more immersive experiences could become possible.

TCS expects its collaboration with Motion Lib to bear fruit by 2024, in the form of consultancy services that help its clients put the Internet of Actions to work.