5G networks let construction workers in Germany clear building sites in South Korea

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By Matthew Griffin Connected Society 25th June 2019

WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF

As network speeds increase, and latency falls, it opens up a whole new world of possibilities for the future of remote working.

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Recently there have been a flurry of developments in the construction industry that are revolutionising how we build our cities and communities, from the emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms that can design cities so humans don’t have to, through to the emergence of autonomous drones that will act as site foremen controlling and directing fleets of autonomous construction vehicles and even autonomous cranes, as well as autonomous 3D printing robot swarms as they print everything from 80 storey skyscrapers, family homes, military barracks, and entire communities in just days. However, while the arrival of fully automated construction sites is probably inevitable, new communications networks like 5G are also helping revolutionise the industry in new ways after South Korean conglomerate Doosan Corporation announced they’ve become the world’s first company to use a state of the art 5G network to operate an excavator in South Korea when the operator was sitting in a seat more than 8,500km away in Germany.

Doosan says the system can be used to carry out work on sites that are contaminated by toxic or radioactive substances, as well as offering remote training for operators.

The company comments: “It is also useful for work on collapsing waste piles and in areas where there are buried mines and other munitions. Safety can be further increased via the zoning and area limitation functions available through the Doosan TeleOperation system.”

Matthew Griffin / About Author

Matthew Griffin, described as a "Walking encyclopaedia of the future" by NASA and a futurist polymath, is one of the world's most renowned futurists and strategic foresight experts. A serial entrepreneur Matthew is the Founder and Futurist in Chief of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working across the next 50 years, XPotential University, the world's first free futures and foresight university, and the World Futures Forum which works with the United Nations to solve the worlds greatest challenges. 13 times author of the Codex of the Future series, Matthew is an in demand international keynote, acclaimed university lecturer, and host of the hit Fanatical Futurist podcast.

A rare talent in his past Matthew helped build and run several multi-billion dollar business units for Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, and his ability to identify, track, and explain the impacts of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends on global business, culture, and society has earned him a powerful reputation and a roster of clients that include royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77+ governments, and many of the world's most respected brands including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi Group, Coca Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Disney, EY, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Pepsi Co, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, and many others. He was also the only futurist invited to talk at the UN COP28 held in Dubai alongside world leaders.

Regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, Matthews mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.