5G: WHAT WILL IT MEAN FOR HYDRAULICS?
5G: WHAT WILL IT MEAN FOR HYDRAULICS?
5G: WHAT WILL IT MEAN FOR HYDRAULICS?
The new communications technology will bring specific as well as general benefits to manufacturers. But what will it mean for hydraulic solutions? We asked Dr. Norman Franchi, Managing Director of 5G Lab at Dresden University, for his opinion.
Dr. Franchi mentioned 5G’s broad appeal to many industrial sectors – as, in the future, it will be a cost-efficient, widely available technology, used for the development of both wireless and wired communication systems. He pointed out, too, that the speed and resilience of the technology will enable real-time wireless communications. In hydraulics, he said, this in turn will enable new and wireless control concepts, while 5G Massive-Machine-Type Communications (mMTC) will provide a solution for predictive maintenance services.
Dr. Franchi pointed out that new technologies, such as augmented reality (AR), require high data rates that will only be available with 5G. In the future, AR will be used to teach and train hydraulic users, for example, or to provide live support by remote experts.
Challenges and opportunities
5G is ready to be used in factories and open up a variety of Industry 4.0 applications, such as predictive monitoring. But Dr. Franchi noted that in order to be an equivalent or even improved replacement for today's fieldbus systems for very time- and safety-critical automation applications, it still has three important challenges to overcome before it can play a full and active part in factories:
- The wireless access/communications element must be real-time capable and allow cycle times of 100 microseconds.
- The wireless network must be secure and resilient against accidental as well as intentional interference, like jamming.
- The (multi-access) edge cloud technology needs to be fully standardized, developed even faster, and to grow in sophistication, as well as become more seamlessly integrated into 5G networks.
Dr. Franchi mentioned that, from a regulatory point of view, a dedicated and globally harmonized frequency spectrum should be allocated for industrial radio networks. Germany, for example, is currently doing this in the 3700-3800 MHz frequency spectrum to enable the deployment of local non-public industrial wireless networks.
The future is bright
As Dr. Franchi has pointed out, we’re seeing a real commitment to 5G communications technology from manufacturers in a range of sectors. There is every reason to believe its advantages will be brought to hydraulic solutions. But in the future, hydraulic components and systems must be conceived digitally, right from the design stage, and must be easily integrated into fully digital systems and processes.
Evolving technology
As will 4G, the technology will evolve quickly. But, as Dr. Franchi explained, the big advantage of 5G is that new features can easily be added with a software update. Because of this, the telecommunications industry is considering whether 6G is necessary or whether it would be better to have 5G+. This means that 5G would evolve in steps without requiring a new generation. But if there’s going to be a 6G, it won’t be before 2030, so now is definitely the right time to invest in 5G.
Author: Dr. Norman Franchi
Job title: Managing Director of 5G Lab at Dresden University