Uncrewed Systems Technology 048 | Kodiak Driver | 5G focus | Tiburon USV | Skypersonic Skycopter and Skyrover | CES 2023 | Limbach L 2400 DX and L 550 EFG | NXInnovation NX 100 Enviro | Solar power focus | Protegimus Protection

38 W hile 5G phones are now widely available, and network operators are rolling out commercial 5G networks in urban areas around the world, the technology is also being developed with uncrewed systems in mind. The standards body, 3GPP, has been adding specifications specifically to help with the operation of UAVs, driverless cars, industrial automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and even uncrewed shipping. One of the key advantages of the latest standards (see sidebar: 3GPP Releases) is to allow companies to set up their own networks, called 5G New Radio standalone, or NR SA (see sidebar: 5G New Radio). The NR SA specification takes advantage of the lower latency of 5G packets to improve the controllability of uncrewed systems by feeding back video, whether they are on a factory floor or a farm. The latest versions of 5G also open up new options for frequency bands and antenna designs. MIMO (multiple in, multiple out) antennas specified in the latest releases provide more robust, higher bandwidth data links for platforms such as driverless cars, allowing them to tap into existing 5G infrastructure with vehicle-to- everything (5G-V2X) protocols and even act as base stations themselves. The addition of millimetre-wave frequency bands at around 70 GHz provides options for high-bandwidth backhaul with speeds of gigabits per second, opening up applications in aerial base stations. However, the hardware such as chips are designed for the consumer market and mainstream 5G network providers, so developing 5G systems for uncrewed applications remains a challenge. 5G in the air There are many ways that 5G is being used in the air, from aerial base stations to satellite connections and UAV-to-UAV connections for swarming algorithms. A UAV is being tested in the Snowdonia National Park, inWales, that can increase safety for themillions of visitors to the area each year using 5G. Research has found that 35% of visitors to the UK’s national parks are worried about getting lost on a walking or hiking holiday, while 31% fear being unable to contact anyone. Mountain rescue teams in England andWales 5G technology is moving beyond consumer smartphones and into uncrewed systems. Nick Flaherty looks at some of the latest developments Fifth dimension February/March 2023 | Uncrewed Systems Technology A UAV reference design with 5G comms using a Qualcomm chipset (Courtesy of Modal AI)