Orange 5G Lab Liège

esponsible for loading and unloading air cargo and ground handling, ramp agents often work at a high pace, in challenging weather conditions and always with safety in mind. To boost activity in such a challenging environment, a new 5G use case allows for the term « augmented worker » using industrial glasses connected in real time to a stable 5G private network.

The goal: eliminate all paperwork for agents and ease the loading and unloading process through a seamless, online, hands-free workflow process.

A digital twin is a virtual representation of a real-world physical system. In this case, it represents a 3D digital visualization of a robot that operates remotely, out of the operator’s field of view in the factory.

Such a digital twin allows the operator to perform system analysis, simulation testing and engineering acceptance, before applying them in real life. The use case presented at the unveiling is a robot performing a specific sequence in the pharmaceutical industry, such as handling or filling fluids into test tubes and placing them in racks. The operator monitors the process via the digital twin, which replicates and visualizes what the real robot does. Thus, to avoid the operator having to enter the robot area with the risk of contaminating the workspace, 5G enables remote error assessment using augmented reality (XR Hololens glasses) and the digital twin.

Increasingly common in Industry 4.0, automated guided vehicles offer a cost advantage, remain available 24/7, generate optimal transportation between the warehouse and the work area, and increase safety. Equipped with collision avoidance intelligence and machine learning, these self-guided vehicles are not only « autonomous, » they are also « connected, » which is where 5G comes in. With real-time remote control, enhanced vehicle coordination made possible by 5G’s high-speed, low-latency network, a high level of fleet self-organization is now possible. Thus, they improve the safety of human-machine interaction.

Parking aircraft at an airport is a challenge, partly because of staff shortages. Adverse weather conditions also hamper the work of the agents who guide the planes to their parking spots using two orange sticks. This is why the third project has installed a 5G radar at the airport, with solar panels and batteries equipped with state-of-the-art computing to help aircraft park autonomously. The system uses a dedicated slice of the 5G network to establish ultra-reliable connections with low latency. The airport can now park aircraft quickly and accurately, whatever the weather conditions. Additional benefits include increased airport capacity and a real-time overview of the parking status of all aircraft.