Helsinki Airport has launched a 5G network and is using it to introduce a robot project.
Finavia, the owner and operator of Helsinki Airport, and Telia are using the network and robot to explore the possibilities of using 5G in airport operations and bringing new kinds of experiences to passengers.
The 5G robot operates in the non-Schengen area of T2 terminal.
Although the companies don’t give real details of what the robot will actually do, they do say they will study how passengers and airport personnel react and interact with the autonomous robot carrying out service tasks.
Heikki Koski, Chief Digital Officer, Finavia:
”The robot can deliver real-time video stream from the terminal and enable for example monitoring the terminal area through remote or autonomous control and see that everything is running as it should. The robot can also guide passengers in the terminal, and we aim to try different use cases during the project.
The data transmission and control of the robot is carried over a 5G base station at the airport. The network, based on technology by Nokia, utilizes the 28 GHz frequency band, the higher frequency band allocated for 5G. This is the first time in Finland that so called millimeter waves are used for 5G in a public use case”
Janne Koistinen, 5G Program Director , Telia Finland:
”5G will start with enterprise customers, especially for industrial automation and remote control. The low-latency connection and massive capacity of 5G will serve the airport well with its masses of passengers and data, and with the focus on security and fluency of services.”
Unlike most other airports using or trialling robots, this one doesn’t yet have a cute name.
N.B. Image credit: Finavia
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