If you want to take a walk on the surface of another planet, examine prehistoric fossils up close or explore ancient Roman temples, all you need these days is to strap on a headset or pull out a phone.
With the push of a button, our devices can seamlessly render 3D objects and environments in stunning detail, dropping us into augmented, extended or virtual reality experiences. But behind these simulated worlds lies an astonishing amount of real-world technology.
Three-dimensional models are notoriously large and cumbersome digital files. To let us explore 3D worlds, our networks and devices transport massive amounts of data every millisecond. This intricate and coordinated handoff of information is key to making these experiences lifelike and captivating.
Virtual and extended reality solutions have already revolutionized how business works, from manufacturing to healthcare to transportation. As businesses continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible, their connectivity must be reliable and fast enough to keep up.
5G’s evolution will… create opportunities to transform industries.
“5G’s evolution will be what allows immersive experiences that can connect people with their passions in ways we couldn’t have previously imagined and create opportunities to transform industries,” said Scott Carter, director of Extended Reality Solutions and Immersive Platforms at AT&T Business.
Devices with 5G connections can transfer massive amounts of data in very short times, sending even the heaviest video and 3D modeling files far more quickly than previous generations of cellular connectivity.
5G’s evolution will… create opportunities to transform industries.
When it comes to powering virtual experiences, 5G gets a hand from another technology: Multi-access Edge Computing, or MEC. MEC brings the computing power closer to the end user — rather than trading signals with servers in a far-off data center, a virtual reality user with MEC architecture can send data back and forth with nearby servers, allowing for far lower latency.
What is 5G?
5G is the latest generation of cellular connectivity. 5G connections allow for lower latency, high-speed and large bandwidth connectivity. That means that 3D experiences can be more detailed and more immersive.
What is MEC?
Multi-access Edge Computing moves computing from far-off data centers to edge-based servers. Edge-based servers are servers that are physically close to the user, meaning requests and data can be processed more quickly as they don’t need to be transmitted to a central server. Reducing the distance that signals travel leads to incredibly low latency and fast response for 3D experiences, as well as greater privacy and security.
Detailed 3D experiences can revolutionize workforce training. Imagine being an aerospace technician who can train on a repair job in virtual reality and learn from experts. EMTs can train for emergencies in digital worlds to be ready for the real thing. [ The Washington Post newsroom recently published an exploration into how 5G and MEC create new and powerful training tools. ]
Journalists can use 3D models and environments to tell compelling and immersive stories, allowing their readers to enter buildings or view artifacts up close. 3D modeling powered by 5G opens a whole world of possibilities for businesses, consumers and more.
Collaborate across continents
In the last few years, video calls and cloud sharing have overhauled how teams work together remotely. But those technologies still only scratch the surface of what’s possible with digital collaboration.
Imagine being an architect in the Bay Area and virtually walking through a three-dimensional model of your building designs alongside a European construction firm. Or imagine a group of civil engineers up and down the East Coast simultaneously examining the same 3D model of the coastline and envisioning ways to prevent storm surges. With a virtual reality headset or even a tablet enabled with augmented reality, these sorts of collaboration tactics aren’t science fiction.
“The combination of lower latency, massive connectivity and faster speeds of 5G will create opportunities to revolutionize how people work and learn,” Carter said.
Colleagues can use augmented reality on their phones, tablets or other devices to envision and customize real-life objects.
A team of industrial designers could use mixed reality headsets to view and collaborate the same 3D model, all while in the same room.
Using virtual reality headsets, an architect in the US could take a European engineering firm on a tour of their latest building designs.
The combination of lower latency, massive connectivity and faster speeds of 5G will create opportunities to revolutionize how people work and learn.
Instead of hopping on a conference call, digital eyewear and 5G connectivity can bring colleagues together in amazing new ways. In the 5G-powered future, you might join a company town hall or even a happy hour with work friends in a custom-built 3D space.
Collaboration tools enhanced by augmented reality, virtual reality and spatial audio can power social interactions for events for work and beyond. Live events companies, including music festivals, are already building exclusive experiences in virtual and augmented reality and ensuring that attendees can join in the fun virtually.
Digital twinning
On modern manufacturing floors, thousands of pieces of delicate equipment work in tandem, and one delay or a broken part can mean a mass shutdown. To understand what’s happening in the physical world of their factories, businesses are turning to the digital world.
“Digital twins” are virtual, 3D replicas of physical spaces that collect and organize data gathered throughout a factory or a warehouse. By simulating objects, instructional guidelines and locations, businesses can help eliminate barriers to production, collaboration and training.
The data that pours into a digital twin often comes from internet-connected sensors, which are part of the ever-growing Internet of Things, or IoT. “From the factory floor or the living room floor, digital twins will become as real as the physical products they are emulating,” said Carter.
To adopt a digital transformation strategy, the network that supports it needs to keep pace with the technology that depends on it.
As digital twins become more detailed and IoT grows, so too does the strain on connectivity networks.
“The data generated and the increased number of computations per millisecond challenges the limits of what Wi-Fi was designed for,” Carter explained. “To adopt a digital transformation strategy, the network that supports it needs to keep pace with the technology that depends on it.”
Together with Multi-access Edge Computing, 5G gives businesses an at-a-glance look at how their factory floors are performing, including not just productivity, but equipment health, location and temperature monitoring and more.
See before you shop
5G is fast, but that’s not the whole story. 5G is also about enabling rich, real-time experiences. Already, some retailers are immersing customers in experiences that let them interact with a product before they buy it. They can remodel a room or design a new kitchen and see how their cabinet or furniture choices will look and fit in their spaces.
Some retailers even offer a virtual reality experience in which a customer can experience what it’s like to walk in the room they’re designing and interact with objects in it.
Use the arrows to explore different cabinet designs
Large amounts of data need to be transmitted quickly and reliably…That’s where 5G is imperative.
“For augmented and virtual reality to allow businesses and their customers to collapse time and space with immersive shopping experiences, available wherever and whenever and with improved fidelity over brick-and-mortar stores, large amounts of data need to be transmitted quickly and reliably,” said Carter. “That’s where 5G is imperative.”
5G speeds can let sellers adjust their experiences in the moment or on demand, swapping out spaces, objects, colors and more to suit customer preferences. Rich experiences for customers also provide retailers with more robust sets of data. Businesses can then collect and analyze their data offline to better understand customer preferences, anticipate needs and follow up.
Don’t get left behind
Extended reality and 5G are always evolving. While technologies like digital twins and XR could revolutionize work, Carter described many businesses that are biding their time before investing in them, waiting around for better hardware, better networks and better software. But waiting isn’t necessarily the best strategy.
“Every aspect of their use case might not be possible yet, but waiting means losing the first mover advantage,” Carter said. “There are lots of reasons to move to 5G and MEC now. I recommend to customers to start with the end in mind, but don’t wait until the end to start."