Cloud robotics (CR) support extremely high reliability and low-latency communications in ubiquitous Internet of Things applications. However, many of those applications currently rely on wired connection, limiting their use within the confines of Ethernet/optical links. Some wireless solutions such as Wi-Fi have been considered, but failed to meet the stringent criteria for latency and outage. On the other hand, cellular technology possesses expensive licensing. Thus, the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is actively working on New Radio in the unlicensed band for incorporating ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC) into fifth generation and beyond communication networks. In this article, we aim to study the feasibility of URLLC in an unlicensed band specifically for CR applications. We open up various use cases and opportunities offered by the unlicensed band in achieving latency and reliability constraints for robotics applications. We then review the regulatory requirements of unlicensed band operation imposed by 3GPP and explore its medium access challenges for CR due to the shared use of unstable wireless channels. Finally, we discuss the potential technology enablers to achieve URLLC using the unlicensed band for the ubiquitous CR applications.

中文翻译：

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释放未授权频段的潜力，在云机器人中为无处不在的物联网启用 URLLC

云机器人 (CR) 支持无处不在的物联网应用中的极高可靠性和低延迟通信。然而，这些应用中的许多目前依赖于有线连接，将它们的使用限制在以太网/光链路的范围内。已经考虑了一些无线解决方案，例如 Wi-Fi，但未能满足延迟和中断的严格标准。另一方面，蜂窝技术拥有昂贵的许可。因此，第三代合作伙伴计划 (3GPP) 正在积极致力于未授权频段中的新无线电，以将超可靠低延迟通信 (URLLC) 纳入第五代及以后的通信网络。在本文中，我们旨在研究 URLLC 在非授权频段中专用于 CR 应用的可行性。我们开辟了未授权频段提供的各种用例和机会，以实现机器人应用程序的延迟和可靠性限制。然后，我们回顾了 3GPP 对非授权频段操作的监管要求，并探讨了由于共享使用不稳定的无线信道而导致的 CR 媒体接入挑战。最后，我们讨论了使用无执照频段为无处不在的 CR 应用实现 URLLC 的潜在技术推动因素。