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Autonomous vehicles, robots which collaborate with people, and many other “smart” technologies for cities, medicine and industry all require extremely fast and reliable communication systems; tomorrow’s 5G mobile network will make this possible. In light of these developments, the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, together with NOKIA and AVL, has launched the national 5G research project MARCONI, which investigates the radio wave propagation needed for 5G and develops new simulation models and wireless systems for industry and autonomous vehicles.
Vienna, 15/1/2018 (AIT) – The new, fifth generation of mobile networks promises to be a true technological revolution and is the subject of intensive research and development efforts around the world – including here at the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology. Commercial operation should begin by 2020 according to announcements from manufacturers and network operators. Not only will 5G allow a data transfer rate up to 100 times faster (up to 10,000 MBit/s) and a capacity approximately 1000 times greater than today’s standard LTE networks, it is also ideal for the massive scale of communication required by the Internet of Things and systems which demand extremely fast and reliable response times. In contrast to today’s wireless technologies, tomorrow’s 5G wireless technology is designed to be fail-safe, making it the vital building block for many new developments and technological revolutions. These include autonomous vehicles and smart-home systems (Internet of Things) which need to rapidly react to their surroundings, or robots which must work safely with humans. Today’s LTE and 4G networks are not suitable for such tasks because of their long latency times: on average, current mobile communication networks take fifty milliseconds to transmit a signal. Response times must be considerably faster if sensors are to be used in applications such as precision control of fast CNC machines, or crash avoidance systems for passenger cars.
Networked autonomous vehicles will need to exchange and combine a whole range of sensor information (radar, optical etc.), kinematic data and manoeuvre information in order to cooperate and reach collaborative decisions in difficult traffic situations. In doing so, they themselves become a significant element in the Internet of Things (IoT). However, this relies on extremely reliable wireless communications with minimal latency times. Cooperation between vehicles helps improve traffic safety and moves us closer to the goal of accident-free road traffic.
Across the world manufacturers are working at high speed to develop new 5G technologies, particularly for new IoT applications. AIT has extensive high-tech expertise in the field of intelligent antennae and wireless communication in challenging dynamic settings. Working with an industrial consortium formed by NOKIA and AVL, work has started on developing key 5G technologies in the MARCONI research project. This project is financed within the scope of the ‘ICT of the Future’ programme of the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) funded by the Federal Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology (bmvit). The focus of research lies in developing so-called multiple antenna systems for vehicle communication which are fitted with up to 100 antenna elements. This approach facilitates a considerable reduction in the necessary transmission power while simultaneously guaranteeing constant transmission quality. In future this will lead to improved safety in autonomous driving, and bring us closer to the goal of accident-free road traffic.
Dr. Thomas Zemen, a leading expert in 5G systems and project manager at AIT: “We measure the properties of radio wave propagation between several vehicles and the base station. This measurement data is used to develop a model for the numerical simulation of 5G systems. This, in turn, allows us to investigate new types of transmission and receiver algorithms in order to achieve maximum reliability in communications for future applications. These algorithms are then tested in real time on AIT’s software-defined radio test system.”
Peter Wukowits, Managing Director at Nokia Austria, adds: “In future millions of autonomous vehicles will depend on high availability 5G wireless communications with minimal latency times. Only then can autonomous vehicles move in coordination, leading to considerable gains in time savings, safety and environmental sustainability. That’s why Nokia is working intensively with its partners to develop and test the technologies needed in these challenging scenarios.”
About AVL
Safety and customer acceptance are major aspects of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). Factors such as testing and validation requirements, as well as system safety will be of paramount importance for the next generations of autonomous driving. As a well-established partner to the international passenger car and commercial vehicle industry, high-tech company AVL provides services, tools and testing environments for enhanced efficiency in the development of advanced driver assistance systems.
AVL is the world’s largest independent company for the development, simulation and testing of powertrains (hybrid, combustion engines, transmission, electric drive, batteries and software) for passenger cars, trucks and large engines. AVL has more than 8,600 employees all over the world. In 2016, sales revenues reached EUR 1.4 billion. More information:
About Nokia
We create the technology to connect the world. Powered by the research and innovation of Nokia Bell Labs, we serve communications service providers, governments, large enterprises and consumers with the industry's most comprehensive portfolio of products, services and licensing.
From the enabling infrastructure for 5G and the Internet of Things, to emerging applications in virtual reality and digital health, we are shaping the future of technology to transform the way we communicate.
About AIT
The AIT Austrian Institute of Technology is Austria's largest research and technology organisation. Among the European research institutes, AIT is a specialist in the key infrastructure issues of the future. In the context of comprehensive and global networking and digitalisation, the Center for Digital Safety & Security is developing modern information and communication technologies (ICT) and systems designed to establish secure and reliable critical infrastructure.
AIT experts in the field of Physical Layer Security develop novel communication methods for 5G systems, which enable ultra-reliable and high-performance communication links with minimal response times (latencies). This makes it possible to replace cables in production environments by wireless systems or to provide reliable communication between autonomous vehicles.
Contact:
Mag. (FH) Michael Mürling
AIT Austrian Institute of Technology
Marketing and Communications
Center for Digital Safety & Security
T +43 (0)50550-4126 | M +43 (0)664 2351747
michael.muerling(at)ait.ac.at | www.ait.ac.at