62 INNOVATION & TECH TODAY | 2020 YEAR-END ISSUE
Just in Time
Robots in a 5G World
By Joe Toppe
Despite a year marked by political turmoil,
economic instability, and the COVID-19
pandemic, the arrival of 5G, a fifth-generation
technology and the world’s new wireless
standard, is not only expected to saturate the
global market, but it is also just-in-time for the
robotics industry.
The Financial Times reported in October, “the
pandemic has accelerated the need for a new
digital infrastructure.”We invent machines to perform tasks that are
difficult for humans or where there are
fundamental human limits. Computers are used
for complex calculation; vehicles for accelerated
transportation; and robots for precise assembly,
according to the article.
Ilayda Samilgil, CEO and Co-Founder of
Organic Robotics Corporation told Innovation
& Tech Today, he believes 5G will be critical on
the factory floor to reduce latency in remotely
controlled manufacturing processes.
“In the future, factories will be designed to be
remotely operated in case of pandemics or other
catastrophes,” he said. “Remote operation will
only be as good as the network. 5G is right on
time, as teleoperation via VR will require large
bandwidth and low latency.”
A recent study by Nokia Bell Labs showed the
COVID-19 pandemic as a catalyst to the digital
transformation of industry throughout the
world.
In the analysis, the research highlighted how
technologies like 5G, extreme robotic
automation, massive-scale sensing, augmented
cognition, control tools, and human
augmentation will change the world as much as
any prior industrial revolution.
While dangerous manufacturing positions
seem the likely job for a robot in a 5G world,
even the Defense Industry has plans for the
upgrade in wireless tech.Matt Holvey, manager of Intelligent Systems at
Bell Helicopters, said “when enhanced with
proper ruggedization and security, 5G mobile
networks will offer a new level of enhanced
connectivity across the military and aerospace.”
“But this isn’t a conversation about mobile
carriers deploying 5G for cell phones,” he
continued. “This is a dialog around leveraging
similar advanced communication principles and
applying them in new ways to achieve more
decentralized, organic communication that
embeds itself deeper into the device stack to
allow both defense and aerospace greater
resiliency and agility in their communication
networks.”
Right now, the obvious advantages for 5G and
robotics remain on the factory floor of global
industry.
Arnie Kravitz, CTO of Advanced Robotics for
Manufacturing (ARM), said the technology will
improve the ability for robots to exchange large
amounts of data.
“Smart Autonomous features will benefit from
the improved ability to provide burst updatesand resets to autonomous mobile robots
working in factories where communication
blind spots, GPS, and other typical navigation
aids are degraded,” he said. “Edge-based
navigation applications are better able to use
cloud-sourced information to update their local
maps and include movement information of
objects spotted or tracked by other robots and
surveillance systems.”
In fact, robots in a 5G world can become
lighter, cheaper, and smarter. Robotics’ users
can even expect more choices for hardware,
software, and add-on functionality.Kravitz said map information will be much
higher resolution too, while remote monitoring
and control of robots will be enhanced by the
exchange of significantly higher resolution
images.“In the area where a human and robot are
working together at a distance, the enhanced
resolution of imagery available for augmented or
virtual reality devices will improve the quality
and fidelity of the telepresence experience,” he
said. Qtechtech
zonezone CES
5G and extreme robotic
automation are expected to
change the world as much as
any prior industrial revolution.