Drone test flight shows potential of 5G networks to accelerate critical services and other innovations
Canada’s first unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flight over a 5G network was demonstrated last week on the UBC Vancouver campus. Two drones performed precise flight manoeuvres, completing tasks such as picking up and dropping off a box containing medical first-aid supplies at a designated location. The 5G network, installed by Rogers in 2019, is part of an ongoing multiyear collaboration with UBC to pursue 5G specific research.
“The drones rode the 5G network without a hitch, flying smoothly and communicating with ground operators and remote viewers with full control and near zero latency, or delay,” says Philip Reece, president and chief executive officer of InDro Robotics the Vancouver-based R&D company that built the drones.
The majority of conventional drones communicate using radio frequencies which are subject to interference and signal latency. 5G allows for near realtime data and video feeds from an offsite control centre. First responders, for example, could dispatch multiple drones to a crash site, providing immediate situational awareness – level of emergency, equipment needed, access to the location, etc.
UAV’s are just one example of how 5G opens up new applications with significant societal benefit, says Dr. Walter Mérida, a professor in the faculty of applied science who leads MéridaLabs, the UBC research group working with Rogers and InDro Robotics on the UAV project.
“In the near future, you can imagine 5G drones being routinely used to monitor wildfires or assist in delivering medical supplies to remote locations,” says Dr. Mérida. “They can be enlisted to provide security services and deployed during times of crisis and natural disasters. 5G enables us to explore many of the challenges and opportunities that will emerge as transportation and civil infrastructures become smart and interconnected.”
In addition to the UAV project, the UBC-Rogers partnership is also advancing work on new 5G applications including autonomous vehicles and traffic monitoring. Other research interests include machine learning, artificial intelligence and other technologies that can be used in robotics, medicine, healthcare and other sectors.
“UBC’s partnership with Rogers has further developed our campus as a living lab concept, enabling our researchers and partners from the public and private sectors to explore and develop real-world 5G applications with positive social as well as potential economic impacts, while providing valuable new learning opportunities for our students,” said Dr. Gail Murphy, vice president, research and innovation at UBC.