5G will power remote control of industrial robots means to “help humans safely work in hazardous conditions”
In a move into 5G for industrial enablement, T-Mobile US announced this week it’s partnering with a robotics firm to use the latest generation of cellular to embolden remote operation and remote viewing in industrial robots built by Sarcos Robotics. Specifically, 5G will be used in the Guardian XT, described by the companies as a systems that “can be mounted to a variety of mobile bases to access hard-to-reach or elevated areas and applies to many industries, including aerospace, automotive, aviation, construction, defense, industrial manufacturing, maritime and oil and gas.”
T-Mobile US provides nationwide 5G coverage using primarily it’s low-band 600 MHz spectrum for wide-area coverage and its 2.5 GHz spectrum, obtained during its merger with Sprint, to provide a balance of coverage and capacity. T-Mobile US has limited millimeter wave deployments focused on urban cores in a few major markets. The operator with work with Sarcos to use 5G for teleoperation and a remote viewing system; the idea is let local or remote workers monitor the robot’s work as it operated.
T-Mo’s EVP of Advanced and Emerging Technologies John Saw said this use of robotics “requires a highly reliable, low latency 5G network that its human operators can count on. 5G was designed from the ground up for industrial applications such as this, and we cannot wait to further collaborate with Sarcos as they develop the next big thing in industrial robotics.”
Earlier this year, Sarcos Robotics announced it will go public through a merger with SPAC Rotor Acqiusition Corp. That deal is set to close in Q3.
Sarcos EVP of Corporate and Business Development said the collaborative work has yielded “great progress…to enable the remote viewing management systems. This is a significant first step and we’re eager to continue the development toward full 5G wireless connectivity that will unlock a variety of new capabilities, including remote teleoperation, as we prepare for commercial availability.”
For more discussion on T-Mo’s approach to emerging and advanced tech that leverages 5G, listen to Saw on this episode of the podcast Will 5G Change the World?
