Future Smart Devices in Future Digital Environments

Abstract

Our modern smart cities and societies are rapidly changing in all aspects. These entities can be described as digital, multidimensional hybrid entities, where everything is interconnected and where different technologies are used to acquire, transmit, exchange, process, use, and store information. We need to look at these multidimensional information and communication system entities in a new way. The information and data models we use, and their functionalities, require communication systems that consist of air-space-land-sea communication networks (ASGM), in which the different components work seamlessly together. These digital, multidimensional hybrid systems include several parts and functions, such as various digital platforms and their services; a range of technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and virtual reality (VR) solutions; blockchains; digital twins; quantum technologies (communication, cryptography, and computing); metaverse environments; and various data center functions. These environments also use the Large Language Model (LLM). Our new smart devices must be developed to adapt and operate in these environments, using the services they provide, and they must function regardless of time and place across all usage contexts, including extraterrestrial networks. Data center capabilities, MECs, and edge systems are also rapidly evolving due to emerging communication requirements. Quantum computing, cryptography, and communication, alongside ML, are becoming available, and their integration must be explored, as they introduce additional challenges for device design and functionality. We must ensure sufficiently low transmission and synchronization latencies so that physical and virtual environments can interact seamlessly without failures. In this article, we examine smart devices designed for future communication environments. These devices will utilize artificial intelligence, machine learning, and virtual reality to support the services of future smart societies across operational domains, including those beyond Earth. We also analyze cybersecurity threats to end-to-end services in different use cases and explore device-level functional enhancements.