Bell-Western 5G network enabling solutions to real-world challenges

Imagine a rush-hour intersection where a cellular network analyzes vehicles' motion, speed and direction and, in real time, helps drivers avoid collisions. Or, picture yourself beaming into an online lecture, with a 360-degree interactive view of the classroom and lab that's so real you almost forget it's virtual. These scenarios are near realities for eight new projects, whose researchers are examining ways the university's unique Bell-Western 5G network can transform lives for the better. "It's all about connectivity: connecting people to people, people to places, people to things," said kinesiology professor Kevin Shoemaker, associate vice-president (research), whose work also includes developing an app that uses ultra-fast 5G to help students improve mental health and activity. The partnership and newly activated network provides a living lab where researchers are testing the technological properties of 5G and gaining insights into its applications as a communications multi-tool: remote, robot-assisted surgeries with real-time, lag-free responses; app development with game-changing speed and resolution; big-data number-crunching; enhanced security for drones. "We want our electronic, digital existence to be seamlessly similar to our in-person existence: fast, and capable of doing many complex things at one time," said biology professor and associate vice-president (research) Bryan Neff. "There's just a whole lot of things we can do now that just weren't possible before this," Shoemaker added.