NTT, NTT Docomo partnered Kobe City and University achieved stable remote robot operations for survey support, even in congested wireless environments. The operator used its ‘5G Wide’ service – part of Docomo business private 5G – which can prioritise packet control on its 5G SA network, even in congested areas or during peak times.
The experimental setup included placing the surgical robot support system – ‘hinotori’ Surgical Robot System – and a surgeon’s cockpit for remote operation at the Integrated Medical Device Research and Development Center (MeDIP) in Kobe City, connected via Docomo’s commercial 5G SA and cloud infrastructure. Additionally, considering the network environment during actual operation, the partners conducted evaluations by simulating congested conditions and performing high-capacity data transmission from multiple 5G terminals, aiming to create a congested wireless communication environment.
While conventional 5G lines sometimes struggle with smooth robot control by doctors or disrupted surgical images in congested environments, using ‘5G Wide’ confirmed stable remote robot surgery support without such impacts. Kobe University, Docomo, NTT, Medikaroid, and Kobe City aim to commercialise remote robotic surgery support solutions using 5G, advancing the development of technologies and functionalities intended for clinical use, such as robot surgery training.
Original article can be seen at: