As autonomous technology continues to develop faster than the industry itself, both government and business are looking for safe, sustainable standards and regulations.
Enabled by our 5G technology, Mehran Ahmady and his colleagues are part of a new movement to develop both national and global industry standards. From intelligent transport systems to self-driving cars and drones, autonomous technology is set to have a big impact.
“As it stands today, drones are not allowed to fly where we can’t see them,” says Mehran. “They’re tiny, plastic, invisible devices. For aviation authorities, it’s impossible to know who is flying them and what their objective is. This is something we’re working to change.”
By connecting drones to a 5G network, we can identify them and make them visible to the aviation authorities. We can use live feeds to coordinate safer flights and communicate between devices. With the proper regulation and the right technology, drones have the potential to do everything from home delivery, logistics and emergency response to inspection services, for example, surveying remote areas of the power grid. The possibilities are so wide-reaching that companies, governments, and regulatory bodies around the world have come together to guide the development of the industry.
“We’re sharing knowledge to advance technology and make things better and more structured,” says Mehran. “The most important objective and our most critical challenge is ensuring safety. We’re exploring which technology can live up to the safety demands and security required for drone operation in low airspace.”
Mehran and his team are running several pilots to explore and evaluate how 5G capabilities can be leveraged in coordinating first response Ambulance Emergency Drones (AEDs). Right now, around 5,500 people in Sweden suffer from “out of hospital” cardiac arrest each year. But because the ambulance can’t reach them in time, only around 600 survive. AEDs could save thousands of lives.
“Everything we explore and evaluate, we share to support standardization and regulation amendments,” says Mehran. “The industry is unique. And the decisions made here will change the world. By tapping into the capabilities of 5G, we can build a new ecosystem that will enable autonomous drones to fly in a safe and secure way.”
We’re Telia. And we’re making better autonomous vehicles happen with emerging tech.
