At MBBF 2024 in Istanbul, Huawei showcases the future of transportation with a groundbreaking demo of 5G-enabled autonomous and remote driving technology. Join Steve Saunders as he explores how Huawei’s advanced connectivity solutions are transforming cars into "third spaces" – relaxing hubs equipped with entertainment, powered by lightning-fast 5G. Witness the real-time control of a car 8,000 kilometers away in China, with near-zero latency and built-in safety systems.
This demo highlights Huawei’s unique approach: focusing on cutting-edge connectivity and software while partnering with manufacturers to revolutionize EV and industrial applications like mining and public safety. From self-driving cars to remote-controlled operations, discover how 5G is reshaping industries worldwide. Don’t miss this exciting glimpse into the future!
Steve Saunders:
This is a cool little demo that they've got here at the Huawei Show in Istanbul. What they're showing here is the idea of using 5G to enable car manufacturers to create what people call the third space. So rather than having to go to Starbucks or your local coffee shop to have a chill-out zone, you can just do it in your car. Car can drive itself, but you've also got all of your entertainment going on. But it's all enabled by 5G. And this is an absolutely huge market. China is the world leader in electric vehicles. They'll sell 10 million EVs this year alone. And it's important to note that Huawei doesn't make the car, they just make the connectivity possible and provide the software to enable the applications which are running in this vehicle dashboard. That's a big differentiator.
They're staying in their lane, focusing on the connectivity. And talking of connectivity, let's have a look at the communications core that makes this all possible. It is, of course, a 5G modem, which would be installed by the car manufacturer. Very impressive. I think you'll agree. So we hear a lot about autonomous driving today. That's where the car drives itself. This is different. This is remote control driving. This isn't a simulation. I'm actually driving a car 8,000 miles away in China, and it's all being enabled by 5G. These are real people and this is a real car. So I can't be running them over, which would obviously create problems. So the system's actually packed with safety features to avoid any potential collisions or instance like that. It's really been foolproof, which is obviously important when you've got somebody like me driving. So why do you need to be able to drive a car remotely?
Well, there are lots of reasons actually. I might be making a delivery. The road might be blocked. I need to make a human decision about how to get around. It might be a public sector application. I might be driving a police car, and I might want to make sure that that police car goes to a certain destination rather than taking an automated route. Where also this becomes incredibly important is in industrial applications like mining, which are very dangerous, and it would be really helpful to be able to control heavy equipment underground or over ground, and that would be potentially a lifesaver. And that is actually starting to happen in many different industry verticals around the world. It's extraordinary to be driving a car 8,000 kilometers away, and 5G is the enabler here. Latency of 17 milliseconds going up to about 49 milliseconds. That means that it's fast enough for me to control this vehicle. Not particularly well, I'd have to say in China while I'm sitting here in Istanbul. It's cool, isn't it?