Freshwave’s portable private 5G network allows the National Robotarium to test and optimise robots before they are provided to customers for real world commercial use.
The National Robotarium, based at Heriot-Watt campus in Edinburgh, Scotland, is a world-leading centre for robotics and artificial intelligence (AI). It works closely with businesses and industry to provide robotic solutions for real world applications.
Freshwave secured spectrum and deployed a portable private 5G network at the National Robotarium. It’s being used to test and prepare robots for the National Robotarium’s customers to then use in the real world. The first use case was an agricultural technology (agritech) application where Spot, a quadruped wireless robot, will work to improve agricultural productivity and sustainability.
Project type
A portable private 5G network provides high-speed, reliable internet access in remote or rural areas where traditional broadband is often limited, enabling better connectivity for devices and systems on the farm. To ensure its customers (and quadruped wireless robots) hit the ground running, the 5G network at the National Robotarium allows the research facility to test and optimise the robots so everything goes smoothly from the moment they’re out in the field.
The portable private 5G network achieves latency below 18 milliseconds
The network can currently support 50 devices and this can be scaled up as needed
The portable private 5G network took a matter of days to be deployed and brought live
The low latency inherent to a 5G private network allows real-time data collection and analysis which supports immediate decision making for agricultural tasks, such as crop monitoring and equipment adjustments. And portable private 5G networks can be easily deployed and moved as needed, making them ideal for seasonal or shifting agricultural operations where fixed infrastructure is impractical.
In the first use case, Spot will be streaming live video content, doing 3D mapping, and infrared assessments when out in the field. The real-time data Spot collects will be used to improve agricultural productivity and sustainability.
Chief Operating Officer
Robots have the potential to transform the agricultural sector, similar to the way equipment such as tractors did so many years ago, but they need the right networks to power this data-driven approach. I’m delighted that we’re partnering with Freshwave on this portable 5G private network. Their unparalleled expertise in radio frequency design, coupled with their collaborative approach, meant the project ran smoothly and I’m excited to use the network for the benefit of many of our customers.
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