UK Universities to debut 5G robot football player at Mobile World Congress

The University of Bristol announced on Monday that it and two other British universities will debut an end-to-end 5G network at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Spain this week.

The technology incorporates research efforts made by the University of Bristol, University of Surrey and King's College London, reports Xinhua.

To showcase the technology, the universities will demonstrate a 5G-connected robotic football player "Messi" at the MWC.

Visitors can remotely control a player, by kicking a football on one of the "5GUK" stands at the MWC venue, the movement of which will be instantly replicated by a robotic-foot located on a separate stand in a different exhibition hall, as it kicks another football into a net.

Visitors will see the results of their "kick" through monitors located on both stands.

This real-time immersive experience is combined with ultra-reliable and low latency communications due to the ultrafast mobile connectivity of the new 5G technology.

Such technology will allow experts, such as surgeons and musicians, to share in real-time their physical expertise with a global audience.

"Our test-bed and trials programme has progressed to the stage where we can now provide meaningful demonstrations of full 5G network solutions," said Professor Dimitra Simeonidou, director of the Smart Internet Lab at the University of Bristol.

This pioneering joint research programme will pave the way for applications that could transform our lives, ranging across transport, health, education and entertainment.