Page 73 - SAMENA Trends - February-March 2021

ARTICLE SAMENA TRENDS

New developments in worker safety
5G with its low latency and excellent
availability is a great enabler for what
we call Mixed Reality (MR). As experts
retire, or become less able to travel, it’s
often necessary for less experienced
staff to resolve problems themselves.
Increasingly Augmented Reality (AR)
headsets are being used to allow experts
to remotely instruct staff on site. Whilst
this can be done over 4G, the number of
dropouts and high latency can make the
experience frustrating and potentially
unsafe for the person being supervised.
Also, increasingly, workers and robots are
co-existing in close proximity; for instance,
a robot might lift a heavy part over a
worker’s head while they fit it into place. As
the robot assistant moves around, having
a reliable low latency technology like 5G is lasting impression than classroom-based Looking to the future
key to avoiding any accidents. warnings. In the next few years, we expect to see 5G
being widely deployed in manufacturing,
5G can also be used to support Virtual How has coronavirus changed things? eclipsing private LTE due to its low latency,
Reality (VR) training, which has been Coronavirus has accelerated the high availability and higher bandwidth
found to be far more effective in terms digitisation of manufacturing, and interest attributes. Several new developments
of health and safety than less immersive in using 5G. Traditionally, people have will further facilitate this. The use of mm
technologies. As VR is so realistic, worse been flown in to fix equipment, or to even wave spectrum will support up to 10Gbps
cases scenarios can be played out before carry out routine activities. For example, connectivity over short distances, whilst
the trainee’s eyes, leaving far more of a one food producer would fly in people from network slicing will enable different
another country to clean all the pipes in its quality of service levels to be offered
ice cream production lines following a shut over public networks to complement
In the next few years, we down. This is currently not possible, and, the existing private networks. OpenRAN
expect to see 5G being in future, the way things have been done in (Radio Access Networks) will encourage
a wide range of innovative companies to
the past is likely to change. Consequently,
widely deployed in manu- we are seeing an increased focus on join the big three in offering more choice,
facturing, eclipsing private factories being more self-sufficient and more virtualisation and greater flexibility
LTE due to its low latency, relying on collaboration tools designed for customers. Finally, we will start to see
for ‘blue collar’ workers. 5G will be a key
greater convergence between 5G, WIFI 6
high availability and higher enabler, driving efficiencies and supporting and, eventually, fixed networks to provide a
bandwidth attributes. employees as they collaborate. seamless experience for users.

Several new developments
will further facilitate this.
The use of mm wave spec-
trum will support up to
10Gbps connectivity over

short distances, whilst
network slicing will enable
different quality of service
levels to be offered over
public networks to comple-
ment the existing private
networks.

73 FEB-MAR 2021