Digital Twin and Pervasive Intelligence for Sensing, Communication, and Computing in Next-Generation Wireless Systems

Abstract. The integration of digital twins (DTs) into the Internet of Vehicles (IoV) introduces a novel communication paradigm that bridges physical vehicles and their virtual counterparts. By continuously synchronizing sensor data, DTs create real-time digital replicas of vehicles, enabling enhanced perception, predictive intelligence, and global coordination. This talk explores how DTs reshape vehicular communications from three perspectives: intra-twin communication, where vehicles interact with their own DTs for real-time updates; inter-twin communication, where DTs exchange information to overcome the limitations of local sensing; and DT-assisted collaboration, where cloud-edge coordination provides global awareness and computational support. We examine key challenges, including heterogeneous network selection, uncertain relay waiting time, resource competition, privacy protection, and incentive mechanisms for data sharing. To address these, recent advances in deep reinforcement learning, federated transfer learning, and game-theoretic modeling are introduced as enabling solutions. Case studies on task offloading, remote data sharing, and data synchronization demonstrate how DT-based communication can achieve low latency, high reliability, and secure collaboration in dynamic vehicular environments.

Bio. Lin X. Cai (Senior Member, IEEE) received the M.A.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada, in 2005 and 2010, respectively. She is currently an Associate Professor with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL, USA. Her research interests include green communication and networking, intelligent radio resource management, and wireless Internet of Things. Dr. Cai received the Postdoctoral Fellowship Award from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada in 2010, the Best Paper Award from the IEEE Globecom 2011, the NSF Career Award in 2016, and the IIT Sigma Xi Research Award in the Junior Faculty Division in 2019. She is an Associate Editor of IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS and IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON VEHICULAR TECHNOLOGY, and the co-chair for IEEE conferences.

Abstract. How do you design a communication infrastructure that sets to defy the speed of light? Developing the Tactile Internet (TI) has brought together experts from a myriad of fields, aiming to compensate for the inevitable latency in long-range communication, to deliver tactile and haptic feedback over a global network. In this talk, we present an architecture that promises to deliver Tactile communication in perceived real-time, focusing on design aspects that yield agile operation. We will explore potential areas of development, future challenges in realizing a scalable and reliable TI infrastructure, and the potential impact on industrial processes. This talk will also address tangent developments in IoT infrastructures that aim to improve Tactile Internet Cognizance.

Bio. Dr. Oteafy received his PhD in 2013 from Queen's University, ON, Canada, focusing on adaptive resource management in Next Generation Sensing Networks; introducing the notion of Organic sensor networks that adapt to their environment, and scale with resource augmentation. He is actively engaged in the IEEE Communications Society (ComSoc), and is a Professional member in both IEEE and ACM, having joined them since 2008. Dr. Oteafy is the IEEE ComSoc Ad Hoc and Sensor Networks (AHSN) Chair, and on the ComSoc Tactile Internet standards Working Group. He is the recipient of the 2016 Howard Staveley Teaching Award, and was nominated for both the 2015 AMS Frank Knox Award for Excellence in Teaching and 2014 Queen's Alumni award for Excellence in Teaching, all at Queen's University. He co-authored a book on "Dynamic Wireless Sensor Networks", published by Wiley, presented over 40 peer-refereed publications, and delivered multiple tutorials on the IoT and Next Generation Networks. Dr. Oteafy co-chaired a number of IEEE workshops, in conjunction with IEEE ICC and IEEE LCN conferences, and served on the TPC of numerous IEEE and ACM symposia. He is currently an Associate Editor with IEEE Access, and on the editorial board of Wiley's Internet Technology Letters.