How Will 5G Change Robotics and the IIoT?
While some consumers are finally warming up to 4G connectivity, the most tech-savvy mobile users are already looking forward to the next upgrade: 5G. It’s still a few years away, with most regions advertising a rollout date of sometime in 2020, but this hasn’t stopped the professionals from imagining its potential in next-gen applications like the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and advanced robotics.
The Current Generation of Robots There’s no denying the rise of advanced robotics, both in the workplace and around the home. From completing menial and outright dangerous tasks to monitoring environmental conditions or the health status of patients, robots are already affecting many different demographics.
Currently, many robots use 4G when communicating with other devices — including other robots, IIoT-powered systems and more. It’s good enough for many applications: cost-effective, readily available in most populated regions and fast enough to meet today’s technological demands. But times are changing — and technology is rapidly evolving.
In today’s tech-driven society, robots aren’t doing the most monotonous and meaningless tasks. Instead, they fill roles of greater scope and responsibility that sometimes require them to learn new tasks or directives and make decisions without human intervention.