KIANEWS Sydney University of Technology is partnering with Nokia
10. 01. 2022 Monday / By: Robert Denes / Industrial / Exact time: BST / Print this page
S ydney University of Technology has partnered with Nokia to build and operate a state-of-the-art 5G innovation lab that will allow researchers and trading partners to explore the capabilities of 5G for Industry 4.0 applications such as industrial automation, agriculture and human-robot interactions. Dr. Marc Carmichael, an assistant professor at the university, is researching the ability of 5G to increase the use of collaborative robots.
The technical challenge for collaborative robots is that a supercomputer will not work in a battery-powered robot. Carmichael is testing how computing elements can be uploaded to the cloud and is exploring other ways to power robots using 5G to increase computing power.
Dr. Marc Carmichael, an assistant professor at the university, says: Robots use sensors to “see” the world. They collect and process huge amounts of data in order for them to work. Researchers can develop algorithms to process sensor data, but they cannot run robots in real time. “Collaborating robots need high bandwidth and low latency. You cannot wait for a robot to send, process, and then return data for the robot to take its next step. It takes a lot of energy to move the robot forward.”
Carmichael focuses on how robots and humans can work side by side. “It’s too dangerous right now,” he said. “But we want a future where humans and robots can share tasks at home and at work. That requires more intelligence and richer collaboration. ” In this case, the robots must be deployed in real time. “5G allows us to consider relocating processing power or sharing computing resources across multiple robots,” Carmichael said.
The overlap between 5G and robotics is in its infancy. "I'm not sure where to drive yet," Carmichael said. “I am very excited about the practical experience of the students; there is a lot of research going on to connect with our partners on real projects. Students are constantly surprised by their interest in technology and how excited they are to work on a project.”/p>
Via LinkThis innovation research is taking place against the background of changing demands on higher education. Carmichael notes that instead of memorizing content, they place more emphasis on learning to learn. Graduating with an engineering degree means you have some skills, but “we have to face how to keep learning up to date, and the contribution of our industry partners is a big factor,” Carmichael said.
