An experiment is being conducted in Kitahiroshima City, Hokkaido, to remotely control a snowplow using 5G, a high-speed, large-capacity communication standard.
This experiment was conducted by NEXCO East Japan in cooperation with NTT DoCoMo in the parking area of Kitahiroshima City from the 8th of this month, and the situation was opened to the press on the 12th.
A humanoid robot sits in the driver's seat of a heavy machine that looks like a snowplow in the experiment.
The operator operated the robot from a dedicated cockpit about 100 meters away while watching the monitor showing the situation in front of and around the vehicle.
The vehicle was scooping snow by moving forward, turning, and moving buckets as instructed by the operator.
For accurate operation, in addition to precise images taken by a high-performance camera, operator instructions must be quickly transmitted to the robot, which is possible for the first time by utilizing 5G, which has a large capacity and almost no delay. Therefore, if it can be put into practical use, it is expected that it will not only reduce the work load but also solve the labor shortage.
Kazue Usui, Deputy Chief of NEXCO East Japan Hokkaido Branch, said, "I found some problems such as white snow and hard to see through the monitor, so I would like to work on solving them."
The experiment will be conducted until the 13th, aiming for practical use in the new year and the third year of Reiwa.