Every so often, a new technology comes along that shakes up the industry. 5G is one such example.
While 3G made it possible for people to surf the web on mobile phones and the speeds of 4G brought us high-quality streaming, 5G has the power to do much more. Particularly when it’s combined with other emerging technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC).
This is because, but not limited to, 5G bringing speeds of up to ten times that of 4G. Add in Edge Computing, which improves response time and reliability by processing data closer to the device and user, and suddenly you’re able to bring use cases like live remote-operated surgery and self-driving cars to life.
Driving smart cities forward
With Edge Computing, businesses can benefit from near real-time insight for faster decision making.
Working with Aurrigo, a driverless vehicle manufacturer, we’re trialling an autonomous shuttle bus which runs between the car park and the campus at Cambridge University.
Using 5G and Edge Computing, we can improve the safety and performance of this service, as the shuttle can react immediately to changing road conditions.
Watch as the team involved, and partners, tell us more:
performance and production lines
performance and production lines
performance and production lines
As 5G continues to roll out publicly, smart city use cases will pick up pace and soon cars will be able to communicate with the road, buildings, and even infrastructure such as traffic lights, about things like traffic flow and available parking spaces.
Which, in turn, can contribute to wider societal goals like fuel reduction and greater safety on the road.
Precision when it matters
Looking at this in the context of a factory setting, the same technology can be applied to devices on the factory floor – something that InterDigital was keen to explore as it looked to develop solutions to improve both the production process and worker safety.
As an innovation and research company, precision is key.
Faced with emerging industry needs that increasingly depend on remote engagement or ultra-fast response times, the margins for error were small, but the potential impacts were huge. That’s why InterDigital tackled the challenge of ‘zero-defect’ manufacturing in connected factories.
Using our 5G network and AWS Wavelength, we are able to support the InterDigital solution pinpoint and resolve faults in equipment in minutes, instead of hours. Reducing downtime, improving productivity and protecting workers, as equipment is paused before any harm is caused.
Thanks to guaranteed connectivity, any number of devices such as cameras and robots can now be connected too when paired with IoT, laying the groundwork for a fully autonomous future. One that will see machines become increasingly intelligent and able to speak to one another and make decisions based on what’s happening around them.
