Webfire Themes Weebly Templates
    WEB3IOT.COM
    support@web3iot.com
    +44(0)7763264313
    • Home
    • About
    • Latest
      • Blog Posts
      • Industry News
      • Whitepapers
      • Industry Insight
      • Smart Products
    • Events
      • Conferences >
        • Conferences 2019
        • Conferences 2018
        • Conferences 2017
        • Conferences 2016
      • Meetups
      • Add Event
    • Products
      • 2018
      • 2017 >
        • March 2017
        • Feb 2017
        • Jan 2017
      • 2016 >
        • Dec 2016
        • Nov 2016
        • Oct 2016
        • Sept 2016
        • August 2016
        • July 2016
        • June 2016
        • May 2016
        • April 2016
        • March 2016
        • Feb 2016
        • Jan 2016
      • 2015 >
        • Dec 2015
        • Nov 2015
        • Oct 2015
        • Sept 2015
        • August 2015
        • July 2015
        • June 2015
        • May 2015
        • April 2015
        • March 2015
        • Feb 2015
        • Jan 2015
      • 2014 >
        • Dec 2014
        • Nov 2014
        • Oct 2014
        • Sept 2014
    • Contact
      • Newsletter
    • Social Media
      • Facebook
      • Google+
      • Instagram
      • LinkedIn
      • Periscope
      • Pinterest
      • Quora
      • Snapchat
      • Twitter
      • Vimeo
      • Vine
      • Youtube

    5G AND CONNECTED A.I. WILL TRANSFORM THE DRONE SECTOR

    3/5/2016

    Comments

     
    Posted By Simon Montford on March 5, 2016
    Most of today's consumer drones are controlled via short-range signals like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or radio airwaves, so their capabilities are severely restricted, unlike military UAVs such as the Predator, that can be operated by a person located thousands of miles away. By utilising a 5G cellular network, however, a consumer drone could theoretically (regulation aside) be controlled from anywhere and have limitless range just like military drones do today. Currently 4G is incapable of providing this capability because it can't offer real-time feedback as there's simply too much of a delay between when you send a signal and when you get a response, known as latency. 
    Combine "always connected" 5G drones with cloud-based A.I., and tomorrow's robots of the sky will be gifted with superpowers! This is because all the processing will be undertaken by super-computers in the cloud, negating the need for them to carry heavy payloads in the form of battery-draining processors, or storage capacity. At MWC, IBM demonstrated a sociable little biped that was able to conduct a conversation with an IBM employee in real-time. It was only able to do this because it was connected to IBM Watson. Remember that drones are nothing more than flying robots, so replacing legs with propellers isn't a huge leap.

    Ericsson demoed a quadcopter on their stand at MWC, which anyone could try operating via a haptic feedback controller (further details about the device can be found on the company's Research Blog). When held, the operator could feel resistance, which increased as the distance between the drone and the object decreased. The object in this case was a scale model of a wind turbine. It was fascinating to watch the micro drone hover around it, and I was reassured to know that the drone was safely contained within a perspex box (see video below), so we were safe in the event that the operator or controller malfunctioned! In a real-world scenario, of course, the object would be a full-size wind turbine, or other industrial asset such as a building, pipeline, or cellular tower. Also, the type of commercial drones utilised for asset inspection today tend to be far larger than the one demoed by Ericsson. Most weigh around 55lbs/25kg but they can reach up to 88lbs/40kg, depending on where the drone is operated. This is because different aviation authorities around the world enforce different regulations on the use of commercial UAVs.

    The point of the demo was to showcase the low latency capability of 5G, which in this example, enabled anyone visiting Ericsson's stand to have a go at using the real-time haptic feedback controller to prevent the micro drone from colliding into the miniature wind turbine. In my opinion, it was clear that the haptic feedback technology was really nothing more than a red herring. This is because human-controlled drones will soon become a thing of the past, so it's unlikely that haptic feedback controllers, such as the one demoed by Ericsson, will be utilised by the asset inspection industry for very long, if at all. This is because I predict aviation authorities will soon realise that autonomous drones are capable of flying far more safely than those piloted by humans. Just like self-driving cars, the next generation of drones won't get bored with repetitive tasks, they won't get tired, and they won't get irritable, all things that often lead to driver or pilot error.  

    Although aviation authorities are understandably being hyper-cautious, within the not-too-distant future, 5G will make "connected A.I." the norm. Drones will, therefore, be able to make sense of the world around them and, thanks to technologies like LiDAR, will come with machine vision capabilities and collision avoidance as standard. They will also have an awareness of their operational environment, so will be capable of learning and adapting to sudden changes on the fly, quite literally! 

    Make no mistake, 5G will be a game-changer as it promises to offer seamless streaming of high-definition movies, almost zero-latency multi-player gaming, real-time live broadcasting, better connectivity while on the move (in-vehicle) and so on, but us humans won't be the only ones enjoying its benefits. When it finally gets the go-ahead, robots will also have cause for celebration. With ultra-fast, low-latency connectivity, 5G will turn the Internet of Things into a network of super-smart objects that will inhabit almost every facet of our lives; operating on land, in our cities and homes, in the air, and out at sea.

    I also predict that they will play a very important role in outer space, because it will be far safer and cheaper to send a drone to, say, harvest space debris, or repair a satellite, than it would a human. Perhaps one day we'll even send fleets of them on space missions to undertake reconnaissance, or prepare a planet for human colonisation, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. For now, I'm just looking forward to the day when I, and the entire human race, will be able to watch live video on a smartphone without it buffering every five seconds! 
    Comments

      Categories

      All
      3D Printing
      5G
      Analysis
      Appcessories
      Artificial Intelligence
      Blockchain
      Business
      Conferences
      Crowdfunded
      Drones
      Entrepreneurs
      EOS
      Ethereum
      Fashion
      Fitness
      For Sale
      Funding
      Hackathons
      Hardware
      Health Monitoring
      Health Tech
      ICO
      Indiegogo
      Industrial IoT
      IOTA
      IoT Events
      IOT Starter Kits
      Kickstarter
      M2M
      NEO
      News
      Preorder
      Robotics
      Security
      Smart City
      Smart Home
      Smart Office
      Smart Watches
      Startup Funding
      Startups
      Tech For Athletes
      Tech For Kids
      Tech For Makers
      Tech For Pets
      Tech For Seniors
      Transport
      Venture Capital
      VR/Augmented Reality
      Wearables

      Authors

      Simon Montford

      SOCIAL MEDIA

      © Simon Montford (5350 Ltd & WEB3IOT), 2014, 2015. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Simon Montford and WEB3IOT with appropriate and specific direction to the original content at web3iot.com.

      Archives

      April 2018
      February 2018
      December 2017
      September 2017
      March 2017
      January 2017
      November 2016
      October 2016
      September 2016
      July 2016
      June 2016
      May 2016
      April 2016
      March 2016
      February 2016
      January 2016
      December 2015
      November 2015
      October 2015
      July 2015
      June 2015
      May 2015
      April 2015
      March 2015
      February 2015
      January 2015
      December 2014
      November 2014
      October 2014
      September 2014

      RSS Feed



    CONTACT US

    OUR MISSION

    We aim to help the IOT ecosystem by connecting hardware and software professionals, academics, entrepreneurs, enthusiasts, hobbyists, investors, and early-adopters. We believe the "Maker Revolution" will lead to incredible innovations that will enrich the lives of millions of consumers and employees throughout the world.

    OUR FOCUS

    Anything relating to the Internet of Things including drones, wearables and connected devices of every kind. The IOT will increasingly affect us all as smart devices become ubiquitous in the home, work place and within industry. We aim to help hardware startup entrepreneurs promote their products, and deliver news about anything IOT-related.

    COMPANY INFO

    86-90 Paul Street    
    London                           
    EC2A 4NE                        United Kingdom          

    support@web3iot.com  

    CONTACT US

    78 West Port
    Edinburgh
    EH1 2LE
    ​United Kingdom

    +44(0)7763264313

    NEWSLETTER offers and promotions

      Please enter your name and email. You can “unsubscribe” at any time!
    SUBSCRIBE

     CATEGORIES

    Drones
    Home
    Smartwatch
    Fitness
    Smart Home
    IOT Starter Kits
    Smart Cities
    Wearables
    Makers & Hackers
    Hardware

    © Simon Montford 5350 Ltd 2014, 2015 all rights reserved
    HOME | ABOUT | RESOURCES | NEWS | CONTACT | TOS
    Back to top
    ✕