South Australia’s growing global reputation as a hi-tech destination has seen Adelaide selected as the location for Nokia’s 5G Industrial Incubation Lab which is already supporting improvements in safety, productivity and efficiency at Adelaide Airport.
Based at the University of Adelaide, the federally funded Nokia 5G Industrial Incubation Lab was first announced in August 2021 following an agreement between Nokia and the South Australia Government’s Department for Trade and Investment.
Minister for Trade and Investment, Nick Champion, said the Nokia 5G Industrial Incubation Lab is an exciting addition to South Australia’s economy and hi-tech ecosystem, expanding its skills into the future.
The 5G Industrial Incubation Lab has deployed and commissioned a 5G network at the University of Adelaide, which has been placed inside a shielded room (Faraday cage) to ensure there is no interference with the public 5G network.
The Nokia 5G Industrial Incubation Lab has undertaken three pilot projects supported by Adelaide Airport Limited, South Australian Power Network and the Department for Infrastructure and Transport, underpinned by the expertise of the Australian Institute for Machine Learning (AIML). The projects cover:
- Airport situational awareness for securing public safety using video cameras
- Rail safety via cameras and scene analytics using big data
- Energy management in a power network via 5G connectivity.
One of the lab’s first industry customers, Adelaide Airport Limited, is currently testing a variety of cameras and wearables such as the Microsoft HoloLens aimed at determining the optimal 5G bandwidth needed to effectively run remote operations.
The results are being used to determine how a 5G scaled deployment can improve the safety and efficiency of Adelaide Airport’s operations, across multiple sites, including Parafield Airport.
For Adelaide Airport, state of the art, high-definition video streaming will be used for real-time analysis of airport inspection and safety monitoring.
The use of 5G wireless technology is a future platform for connecting mobile robots, machines, sensors, computers and people, creating opportunities for automation on a scale that hasn’t been possible until now.
As such, 5G-enabled networks will be essential for the automation of the world’s physical industries, leading to productivity gains.
Nokia has already hired two full-time engineers to work on the National 5G Industrial Incubation Lab and further growth is anticipated in line with business demand. It is expected Nokia’s expertise in 5G with Microsoft Azure Space platform will provide a national unique capability for industrial automation and other critical industries for South Australia.
An ecosystem has been established to support and grow the lab’s 5G capabilities. These partners include the Australian Institute for Machine Learning (AIML), MIT bigdata Living Lab, Adelaide Airport Limited, Sage Automation, SA Power Networks, the South Australian Government and Bell Labs Consulting.
For further information about the Nokia 5G Industrial Incubation Lab click here.
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