Enabling 5G and the Future of Robotics
Image Source: sdecoret/shutterstock.com
By Barry Manz for Mouser Electronics
If robotics and cellular
communications seem strange bedfellows, it's because the fifth generation of wireless, 5G, is the first to
wirelessly address the need of such applications rather than just increasing data rates and expanding coverage
as previous generations did. This ambitious standard, called IMT-2020 by the International Telecommunications
Union (ITU) that globally regulates them, will accomplish this by completely revolutionizing the way cellular
networks are built, the devices they can connect with, the frequencies at which they operate, and the
applications they serve.
The fifth generation of wireless technology will pave the way for a new generation of robots, some free to roam
controlled via wireless rather than wired communications links and exploiting the vast computing and data
storage resources of the cloud. Armed with these capabilities, robots can be precisely controlled dynamically in
near real time, and be connected to people and machines locally and globally. In short, 5G will fully enable
applications such as the “factory of the future” and many, many others that were previously beyond
the capabilities of both cellular and robotics technologies.
But Will They Still Need Us?
There's a lot of controversy these days surrounding robotics and how along with artificial intelligence (AI) they
will come to rule the world, including some containing rather draconian prospects for the fate of humanity. The
champions of robots believe they will complement people rather than replace them, and perform some functions
that humans aren't very good at anyway. On the other side is some who believe that robots may take the place of
humans in manufacturing and other industries, eliminating millions of jobs. Whether or not robots will
ultimately look down their artificial noses at humans remains to be seen, but 5G is almost certain to let them
function more efficiently and serve more applications than ever before.
Robots are already ubiquitous in manufacturing, of which the auto industry is
perhaps the most obvious example. Other key applications examples include industrial and medical. The innovations within 5G
will expand their capabilities so much further that it will be necessary to expand the definition of what a
robot really is. So when autonomous vehicles finally hit the streets they too will be robots, executing
instructions from a vast array of sensors to make decisions and perform functions, presumably a lot more accurately,
reliably, and faster than humans. Gyrocopters and other unmanned vehicles fit this category too.
To understand the synergy between 5G and robotics, there is no better example than healthcare where robotics has
immense potential. Not only will robots perform mundane functions such as transferring things from place to
place in a hospital, aided by 5G communications and the cloud, but they will also enable telesurgery in which
operations are orchestrated remotely by doctors and performed locally by robots. This was demonstrated for the
first time back in 2001 when endocrine surgeon Jacques Marescaux (1948–) removed the gallbladder of a
patient in Strasbourg, France while sitting at a console in New York City—a distance approximately 6,200km
away—during an event appropriately called Operation Lindbergh.
Flip forward to about 2025 and imagine operating rooms in one hospital populated by robots and humans connected
by 5G through the cloud to surgeons anywhere on Earth who orchestrate the surgical procedures. They could be
aided by specialists in one or more locations who can lend their expertise, all in real time. Fantastic though
this may seem, it's just the beginning: Using virtual reality (VR)—and the ever-present cloud—it
should be possible to convert an imaging scan into a virtual, three-dimensional (3D) representation of a
patient.
Using this “digital clone”, the surgeon would then remotely orchestrate the operation on a
virtualization of the patient while one or more robots perform the actual surgery. The doctor would have a
tactile yet virtual “experience” as bones, tissue, and organs will all “feel”
differently. The full measure of telesurgery won't be possible for perhaps a decade but will continue to advance
in stages as 5G and robotics mature.
So Why Not Now?
Besides the fact that the robots and the entire “ecosystem” required to enable telesurgery and other
next-generation robotic applications are still in their infancy, current 4G networks simply do not have the
characteristics required to make them possible. That is, as they require virtually instantaneous response times,
it will be essential to reduce a metric called latency to unprecedented levels. Latency is basically the time
span between when input is initiated at one point in a communications link and when it returns with error-free
input from another point. Low latency is vital for high reliability machine-centric communication for robotics
of tomorrow.
Current 4G Long-Term Evolution (LTE) cellular networks have round-trip latency of about 50ms but to enable
applications like robotics the 5G standard recognizes that <1ms will be required, a colossal technical
challenge. Other promised benefits of 5G, such as cloud computing and increasing data rates, are relatively
“simple” when compared to reducing latency to such a minute level, as it faces the immutable laws of
physics.
To understand this, consider that the speed of electromagnetic radiation in a vacuum is 3 x 108m/s. As
the Earth's atmosphere is not a vacuum this top speed is reduced ever so slightly due to atmospheric air.
However, its propagation speed is dramatically reduced by further considerations including the optical fibers,
terrestrial and satellite communication links, and the electronics and interconnects through which a signal must
pass. The upshot is that the shorter the physical distance between Point A and Point B, the lower latency time
can be. This this is how 5G intends to accomplish its goal of reducing this metric to <1ms.
5G will require the number of data centers that collectively form the cloud to be dramatically expanded
geographically, as a data center in one location is likely to be too far away from most other locations to
reduce latency time to acceptable levels. This expansion, combined with data rates greater than 1Gb/s and the
use of new cellular frequencies—an order of magnitude higher than those presently employed—will be
essential ingredients that allow distances ranging from 1–100km to be covered with
<1ms latency.
The Factory, Reimagined
5G will play a crucial role in creating the factory of the future, another application in which <1ms latency
is essential. In combination with the almost limitless processing and data storage available in the cloud, 5G
communications will allow robots in next-generation manufacturing environments to do far more than they can
today. Robots will be able to exchange large amounts of information between themselves and the factory
workforce, revolutionizing the “shop floor” along with other 5G enabled devices such as wearables and technologies like augmented
reality (AR).
Figure 1: A manager industrial engineer uses real-time monitoring system software to check
and control 5G enabled robots on the factory floor.
As robots will become mobile and able to interact with people, significant increases in production throughput
should be achievable along with greater product quality and operator safety. To maintain very low latency
throughout this reimagined factory, it will be necessary to rely heavily on edge computing within the network.
Edge computing brings intelligence and functionality to the “edges” of a network where the actual
applications reside, similar to what distributed computing achieved decades ago.
Robots on the Field
The “untethering” of robots via 5G and GPS-based geolocation will allow them to perform functions
impossible today. For example, in agriculture, robots could wander through fields monitoring growing conditions
and sending video and other sensor information back to a computer located virtually anywhere, or even perform
activities such as spraying, pruning, and harvesting. A company called FFRobotics has developed what it calls a
fresh fruit robotics harvester that combines robotic controls with image processing software algorithms that
allow it to find and distinguish between saleable and damaged produce as well as between fruit that is either
not yet ripe or dead.
Figure 2: Not the usual vision of a robot, but robotic nevertheless, this tractor can
traverse fields commanded by 5G, allowing one controller to supervise multiple tractors. (Source:
Scharfsinn/shutterstock.com)
A technology called High-throughput Plant Phenotyping (HTPP) combines genetics, sensors, and robots that could be
used to develop new crop varieties, as well as improved nutrient content and tolerance to environmental
conditions. This would be accomplished using the sensors on robots to measure various characteristics and send
their findings back to for analysis to scientists who could be located virtually anywhere. Other robots are
being developed to plant and track seeds to improve the efficiency of farming and many other aspects of
agriculture that people now perform. In the future, many are likely to be performed by remotely-controlled
machines.
Qorvo: Enabling 5G Infrastructure
Qorvo is a leading global supplier of RF solutions
with a diverse portfolio of solutions that "connect and protect," communication applications such as radar,
Wi-Fi customer premises equipment for home and work, high speed connectivity in LTE and 5G base stations,
cloud connectivity via data center communications and telecom transport, automotive connectivity and other IoT,
including smart home solutions. Qorvo’s leading edge products include gallium arsenide (GaAs)
and gallium nitride (GaN) power amplifiers (PAs), low-noise amplifiers (LNAs), switches, complementary
metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) system-on-a-chip solutions, premium bulk acoustic wave (BAW) and
surface acoustic wave (SAW) filter solutions and various multi-chip and hybrid assemblies.
Qorvo is leveraging their product capabilities across low frequencies up through millimeter wave to respond to
the product demands of the next generation 5G networks for sub-6GHz and millimeter wave solutions. A wide
variety of products are embedded in ongoing 5G field trials, Qorvo has multiple product development engagements
with top OEMs to intersect network operators’ timelines for deployment of 5G networks. Let’s take a
look at some of the specific technologies and products that is bringing 5G and the future of robotics into
reality.
Integration Makes It Easy: QPF Front End Modules
Qorvo is a leader in 5G infrastructure front end modules (FEMs). FEMs are integrated radio frequency (RF) modules
that contains amplifiers, filters, switches, and other components. The Qorvo QPF4001 GaN
Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit (MMIC) FEM is a multi-function device module targeted for 28GHz
(26–30GHz) phased array 5G base stations and terminals. It combines a low noise high linearity LNA, a low
insertion-loss high-isolation transmit/receive (TR) switch, and a high gain, high efficiency multistage PA.
Operating at a higher frequency Qorvo offers the QPF4005 Dual Channel FEM
which is a multifunction GaN MMIC module targeted for 39GHz (37–40.5GHz) phased array 5G base
stations and terminals. It also combines a LNA, a low-insertion-loss high-isolation TR switch, and a
high-gain high-efficiency multistage PA. Additionally, Qorvo QPF4006 39GHz (37–40.5GHz) GaN
Transmit/Receive Module is targeted for 39GHz phased array 5G base stations and terminals. Like the others,
it combines a low noise high linearity LNA, low-insertion-loss high-isolation TR switch, and a
high-gain high-efficiency multistage PA.
Signal Boosting: QPL Flat Gain Amplifiers
Qorvo QPL9057
Flat Gain Amplifiers are designed to provide a flat 2.4dB gain over a wide bandwidth from
1.5–3.8GHz. These gain amplifiers provide 22.8dB gain, +32dBm OIP3 at a 50mA bias setting, and 0.54dB
noise figure. The QPL9057 gain amplifiers require five external components to operate from a single positive
supply as they are internally matched using a high-performance E-pHEMT process. Typical applications include
mobile infrastructure, repeaters, Time Division Duplex (TDD) or Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) systems,
LTE/WCDMA/CDMA/GSM, and general purpose wireless.
Dual Channels, Different Frequencies: QPB Switch Low Noise Amplifiers
Qorvo’s QPB9329
4.4–5.0GHz Dual Channel Switch LNA Modules are highly integrated FEMs targeted for Time
Division Duplex (TDD) base stations. These switch modules integrate a two-stage LNA and a high power switch in a
dual channel configuration. Similarly, the Qorvo QPB9337 2.3–3.8GHz Dual Channel Switch LNA Modules are highly
integrated front-end modules targeted for TDD base stations. Like the QPB9329, these LNA modules
integrate a two-stage LNA and a high power switch in a dual channel configuration. The QPB9337 LNA modules
can control the power down and bypass capabilities with the control pins on the module. These modules are
designed for wireless infrastructure applications configured for TDD-based multiple-input and multiple-output
(MIMO) architectures.
Flick of the Switch: QPC Absorptive High Isolation SOI Switches
Qorvo QPC silicon-on-insulator (SOI) RF Switches like the QPC6054 are
specifically designed for cellular, 3G, LTE, and other high-performance communications. The devices have a
surface mount design for ease-of-assembly and operate from 5MHz–6GHz. Developed using a high isolation
symmetric topology, the QPC SOI RF Switches offer excellent linearity and power handling capability. The QPC6054
is a single-pole, single-throw (SPST) switch. The Qorvo QPC6324
Absorptive High Isolation Single Pole Double Throw (SPDT) Switch offers high isolation with excellent
linearity and power handling capability. The QPC6324 switch finds its applications in a wide variety
of 4G/5G wireless infrastructure applications.
Conclusion
It's important to keep in mind that 5G won't simply transform robotics overnight, as many of the applications and
technologies to achieve it are today either embryonic, in development, or just on the drawing board. Rather, 5G
should be viewed as the beginning of a new era in telecommunications that fully enables robotics and many other
applications for the first time. In addition, mobile robots are also a long way from being a mature technology
and it will likely take years before they are massively deployed in applications ranging from manufacturing and
production to agriculture, search and rescue operations, wide-ranging search and rescue operations, and many
others.
5G will require enormous levels of innovation in every aspect of the network, from the development of
millimeter-wave communications systems to software-defined and virtual network architectures, and new wireless
access methods that make it possible for many robots to operate in a small area without interfering with each
other. Looming above it all is latency, which researchers must find a way to reduce to virtual insignificance.
Barry Manz is president of Manz
Communications, Inc. He has worked with over 100 companies in RF, microwave, defense, test and measurement,
semiconductor, embedded systems, lightwave, and other markets. He edits for the Journal of Electronic Defense,
Military Microwave Digest, and was chief editor of Microwaves & RF magazine.
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