[Courtesy of SK Telecom]
SK Telecom (SKT) said that it signed a memorandum of understanding with Robotis, which offers a modularized and standardized solution for robot technology, for cooperation in autonomous robot business based on 5G mobile edge computing (MEC), which enables cloud computing capabilities and an IT service environment at the edge of cellular networks.
The two companies agreed to improve the self-driving performance of robots by using 5G technoloty to effectively transmit large amounts of video and sensor information and develop technologies that can stably manage many robots by installing a robot control system in MEC.
SKT said that Robotis' control system installed in SKT's 5G MEC can lighten key components and reduce robot prices and power consumption. As it will greatly help reduce the cost of infrastructure in case of a rapid increase in the number of robots operating, stable services for self-driving robots are possible anywhere.
The mobile carrier said that both companies would step up efforts to develop various robot-based services such as product loading, remote maintenance, patrol and quarantine to minimize the number of workers residing in factories in the post-COVID-19 era. "Autonomous robots are key technologies that prepare for the post-COVID-19 era," SKT's corporate business head Choi Pan-chul said in a statement.
Choi said that 5G MEC can improve performance and reduce manufacturing costs. SKT has established ties with global tech companies. In April, the company agreed to strengthen cooperation with Microsoft in 5G MEC in an effort to secure general availability.
