- Telefónica’s campus networks in Germany see increased applications in AGVs.
- Operator undertakes research efforts in partnership with Technical University of Munich.
- Autonomous transport warehouse testing in Germany proves successful.
Telefónica Deutschland (O2 Germany) is building momentum around its 5G campus network with new partnerships on autonomous ground vehicle (AGV) solutions.
Launching its first 5G campus network in 2020, recent projects have used the technology to focus on logistics, transport, and warehouse management (Telefónicawatch, #141).
Munich university research drives solutions
Telefónica’s German arm released details of an ongoing collaboration with the Technische Universität München (Technical University of Munich/TUM), as part of a “long‑term scientific and technical cooperation”. The partnership includes the joint supervision of student research projects, Telefónica staff presenting events and lectures at the university, and the opportunity for students to complete internships at with the operator.
With research being carried out in Bavaria, the operator highlighted two projects related to logistics, which were showcased at an event presented by Johannes Fottner, TUM’s Chair for Conveyor Technology, Material Flow & Logistics, in early‑December.
The first project demonstrated was an AGV solution with a “driverless autonomous robot” featuring full directional control and the capability to carry heavy loads. The operator noted that its 5G campus network will eventually enable entire fleets of AGVs to be controlled via a centralised system coordinating large numbers of vehicles simultaneously.
The second project explored the use of remote‑controlled forklifts, with object recognition bringing automation into the works, again underpinned by Telefónica’s 5G campus network technology, which the operator said enables “fast data transmission” for large data quantities to produce safer and more dynamic route planning.
“ It is already becoming clear how many technical developments with 5G campus networks are exploiting their potential or can only be realised with 5G. The research on this is particularly interesting for Telefónica because it helps us to show companies the specific benefits of the technology. ”
Mallik Rao, Chief Technology & Information Officer, O2 Germany.
Telefónica’s work with TUM started in August, providing it with the first 5G campus network in Munich for scientific use (Telefónicawatch, #165). Initial AGV prospects were announced, with the materials handling and intralogistics sub-sector cited as the third largest in the mechanical engineering industry, reportedly generating €22.6bn (£19.4bn) in 2021, with an expected growth of 8% during 2022.
Smart wheels for smarter warehouses
IT provider Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Norwegian scale-up wheel.me have also recently partnered with O2 Germany on similar warehouse autonomy tech after signing a Memorandum of Understanding.
Robotic wheels developed by wheel.me can “create and calculate a 3D image” of a factory floor, harnessing Telefónica’s 5G campus network tech and HPE’s edge computing infrastructure to minimise latency and analyse large volumes of data in real time. Test performances have shown the autonomous wheels can successfully transport supplies from a warehouse to workstations, safely avoiding objects and workers.
Leonard Michalas, Business Manager at O2 Germany, highlighted that the tie‑up demonstrated how combining 5G campus networks with edge computing enabled industrial customers to access complex embedded solutions through a partner ecosystem.
Telefónica’s interest in AGVs extends beyond Germany, with the first 5G commercial services for large enterprise being launched in Spain earlier this year. Telefónica Empresas noted that AGVs are one of its three main focuses, alongside drone solutions and remote assistance (Telefónicawatch, #160).
Japanese IT player NTT Data has also teamed up with Telefónica to create autonomous mobile robots to move goods from the assembly line to a warehouse. Initial tests proved the concept at the CIE Automotive facility in Spain (Telefónicawatch, #164).
