In the era of Industry 4.0, industrial production lines demand fast, reliable and, most importantly, mobile communication systems so that robots, for example, can work safely and effectively alongside people in the future. The upcoming generation of 5G mobile communications is expected to make this possible. Against this background, the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology has launched a co-operation with Siemens Austria on an internationally cutting-edge technological development project. The UNWIRE research project explores radio wave propagation in industrial settings, new simulation models, and wireless systems for 5G and beyond.
Vienna, 19th of March 2018 (AIT): In future it will be absolutely essential that industrial production lines can be dynamically reconfigured, allowing production equipment to be quickly adjusted to product and process changes. However, current production systems are severely restricted by the fixed wiring of their control systems. In order to achieve a high level of reliability and adaptability, future flexible production systems require new wireless transmission methods with shorter reaction (latency) times. Replacing cable connections with highly reliable wireless communication systems such as 5G would significantly increase the scope of reconfiguration in production facilities. This would pave the way for completely new and extremely efficient production processes.
In tomorrow's production systems communication between sensors, actuators (motors, steering) and processing units (control systems, computers) needs to be supplemented by wireless communication with minimum latency. Fast and reliable control procedures require cycle times of approximately 0.1 milliseconds (ms): this amounts to a reduction by a factor of 100 from the current technological level.
Around the world manufacturers are working at high speed to develop the new 5G technologies which are primarily intended for future application in the Internet of Things (IoT). AIT enjoys extensive high-tech expertise in the field of intelligent antennae and radio wave propagation in challenging dynamic settings. AIT is now developing so-called low-latency key technologies together with Siemens Austria as part of the UNWIRE research project. The project is funded by the Production of the Future programme run by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology (bmvit).
Thomas Zemen, a leading expert in 5G systems and project manager at AIT, explains: "We measure the properties of radio waves in complex and large-scale industrial settings. This data is used to assess the performance of future industrial wireless systems. This allows us to examine and validate the most effective signal processing algorithms and diversity mechanisms for the robust operation of a wireless communications system in real-world industrial scenarios. In doing so we can pave the way for flexible production processes, which allow for increased capacity utilisation and minimise conversion costs.
"The demands placed on the wireless links which replace cables in an industrial setting are particularly challenging. Safety requirements and production efficiency necessitate an extremely high level of availability, as well as minimal latencies for highly dynamic control operations," says Martin Schiefer, Head of the Radio Frequency Research Group at Siemens Corporate Technology in Vienna. The UNWIRE research project allows Siemens to develop an optimum wireless solution for future industrial use, based on 5G and beyond.
About Siemens Austria
Siemens AG Österreich is one of the leading technology companies in the country and has stood for technical performance, innovation, quality, reliability, and internationality for more than 135 years.
The scientists, engineers, mathematicians, and software developers of the central research and development unit - Corporate Technology (CT) - work hand in hand with the Siemens Business Units to identify the technologies of tomorrow and leverage them for the company.
Corporate Technology Austria, with locations in Vienna and Graz, was established in 2008. Some one hundred researchers in seven research groups are working in close cooperation with customers to develop pioneering technological solutions.
http://www.siemens.at
About AIT
The AIT Austrian Institute of Technology is Austria's largest research and technology organisation. Among the European research institutes, AIT is a specialist in the key infrastructure issues of the future. In the context of comprehensive and global networking and digitalisation, the Center for Digital Safety & Security is developing modern information and communication technologies (ICT) and systems designed to establish secure and reliable critical infrastructure.
AIT experts in the field of Physical Layer Security develop novel communication methods for 5G systems, which enable ultra-reliable and high-performance communication links with minimal response times (latencies). This makes it possible to replace cables in production environments by wireless systems or to provide reliable communication between autonomous vehicles.
www.ait.ac.at
Contact:
Michael Mürling
AIT Austrian Institute of Technology
Marketing and Communications
Center for Digital Safety & Security
T +43 (0)50550-4126 | M +43 (0)664 2351747
michael.muerling@ait.ac.at | www.ait.ac.at
Walter Sattlberger
Siemens AG Österreich
Communications
Tel.: +43 51707 20222
Email: walter.sattlberger@siemens.com
https://twitter.com/Siemens_Austria
