LG Uplus Corp. announced that it had signed an agreement with Jeolla Province’s Jeonju City to launch a 5G self-driving robot service. Recently, many companies and local governments have been applying ESG management strategies to their practices in line with South Korea’s 2050 carbon neutrality goal. In response to this growing trend, LG Uplus teamed up with Jeonju City to introduce and manage 5G-connected autonomous robots.
Environment Management Robots
According to the South Korean cellular carrier, the ‘environment management robots’ would provide real-time air quality and other atmospheric analysis. Under the agreement, LG Uplus would install six 5G-connected robots to analyze Jeonju’s air quality daily from 9 am to 6 pm. Additionally, LG Uplus deployed autonomous driving robots in various areas, including residential and industrial complexes around the city.
LG Uplus’ environment management robots collect information on air quality levels and measure nine atmospheric data types. Some of the data types include ultra-fine dust, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, and volatile organic compounds. After the environment management robots finish collecting data, they send the information to the Gwangju Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) center.
Next, the Gwangju MEC center would provide real-time data analysis with minimal delay thanks to the 5G network connection. Moreover, the 5G network provides the robots ultra-high speed and ultra-low latency connectivity, enabling better performance, especially during emergencies.
LG Uplus also equipped the autonomous robots with smart sensors, enabling them to monitor a 1-kilometer course thoroughly. In addition to the sensors, the company also mounted a camera that directly sends notifications to the control center. Through these technologies, the control center could give immediate commands in case of technical issues and other disturbances.
Furthermore, LG Uplus installed a fire alarm system for the robots, allowing them to utilize text-to-speech technologies for additional warnings. Previously, LG Uplus tested a 5G-powered self-driving robot for unmanned facility monitoring operations in partnership with Unmanned Solutions.
Specialized 5G Services
“For two years after the world’s first 5G commercialization, we have been striving to discover B2B and G2B cases that promote the advancement of 5G in industrial and public sectors,” said Seo Jae-Yong, VP of LG Uplus’ Smart Infrastructure Business Unit. Seo also added that LG Uplus would continue building relationships with domestic and foreign partners to develop specialized 5G services. LG Uplus has also launched the XR Alliance, a partnership with global telecoms, to cultivate the 5G ecosystem.
