Industrial Automation, Information and Communication

Industry 4.0 in real time

© iStock / hh5800
The 5G mobile communications standard is a key technology for Industry 4.0.

Transmit data at high speed, yet reliably: this is the demand that the 5G mobile communications standard must fulfill for use in industry, traffic, and medicine. In order to implement exactly that, a team at Fraunhofer HHI is currently working on solutions to make 5G more reliable.

When controlling traffic or helping in the performance of teleoperations, the data must be transmitted reliably and securely. But wireless transmission is currently more susceptible to interference than data transport via fiberglass cables. The data stream can be stabilized using optimized signal processing and selecting certain frequencies that make use of reflection within buildings, for example. “We have already proved in the laboratory that the desired 10 Gbit/s with a latency of 1 ms and top reliability are possible. In certain areas of application, we can already present solutions that are very close to the product,” says Prof. Slawomir Stanczak, head of the Wireless Communications and Networks department at Fraunhofer HHI. Possible uses of 5G are waiting in areas including Industry 4.0. Robots, for example, can be controlled using ultra-fast wireless communication in the same way as if the human operator were standing right at the robot and controlling it via a joystick and buttons.

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