Sprint is hosting a grand opening today for its Curiosity Lab at Peachtree Corners, which is claims is country’s first 5G-powered smart city technology proving ground.
The Curiosity Lab is located in the city of Peachtree Corners, Georgia. The “living laboratory”, which includes a 1.5-mile autonomous test track located within an existing 500-acre technology park, enables companies to develop and test emerging technologies with live smart city infrastructure, next-generation connectivity and “the most real-world conditions possible,” Sprint said.
“With Curiosity IoT and True Mobile 5G, Sprint is bringing together companies – both big and small – to develop and test future-forward technology in one space, sparking innovation and creativity like never before,” said Jan Geldmacher, president, Sprint Business. “From enabling the most accurate real-world navigation possible to delivering immediate intelligence from IoT connections, companies can now better test, and ultimately scale new solutions for the smart city landscapes of tomorrow.”
Additional infrastructure at the site includes a network operations center, smart poles, DSRC units, dedicated fiber and a 25,000-square-foot technology incubator.
During the opening of the facility, a number of emerging technologies will be showcased at the Curiosity Lab, Sprint said. These demonstration will include
-Vehicle company Local Motors’ autonomous passenger shuttle, known as “Olli”.
-A “humanlike service robot with artificial intelligence in the cloud,” and a virtual avatar that can be used in retail, hospitality and various other environments.
-An autonomous floor cleaner from Softbank Robotics.
-A mailbox landing pad and autonomous drones.
-Smart light polls from Georgia Power.
-A “delivery-only” kitchen solution
-An autonomous vehicle from Kia.
Sprint’s 5G technology is now live in parts of Peachtree Corners as part of the company’s footprint covering areas of Atlanta. The carrier has launched 5G service in Phoenix, Arizona, New York City, Washington D.C., Los Angeles, Atlanta, Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Kansas City and Chicago.
The carrier says that its total 5G footprint currently includes 2,100 square miles covering 11 million people in the U.S.
