A transmission element according to the invention for an actuating system integrated into an internal combustion engine provides a cam follower including a roller articulated on a shaft mounted on a piston suitable for sliding in a bore formed in a body of the transmission element is provided. The system is designed to allow a first unit to transmit through free space a modulated laser beam that is received by a second unit located within line-of-sight of the first unit. In one implementation, a proxy is used to implement data storage virtualization.