“Once again Milton Keynes will be the testing ground for more futuristic and novel uses of modern technology,” a report in the New City’s local newspaper proudly trumpets as trials using a new 5G system get underway.
The Milton Keynes Citizen says trials have started in the MK:5G programme, which is a new testbed in the Milton Keynes area, including the deployment of dedicated 5G infrastructure and the creation of a data hub facility. The consortium is now taking expressions of interest from companies who would like to conduct trials in the testbed.
The report notes that trials will be completed testing the ability of this network to power robots, medical devices, driverless cars, and energy saving devices.
The trial involves the deployment of dedicated 5G infrastructure and the creation of a data hub facility. The 5G mobile network is designed exclusively for research and development purposes and will cover central MK including key sites such as the Stadium, Bletchley & CMK rail stations, Hospital, Universities, key junctions on the M1 and a number of rural communities.
Among the trials, the Academy of Robotics will trial their Kar-go (pictured) delivery vehicles, which are thought to be the fastest automated delivery pods, travelling at 60 mph, and Imperium Drive which allows a human operator to remotely connect to and drive any automated vehicle using live video and sensor feeds over a cellular network.
(Picture – Academy of Robotics Twitter)
