Vodafone presents: The Blind Skier. Video / Supplied
NZ’s rescue helicopter service could use high-tech injury treatment systems being tested in Italy.
New Zealand Herald business reporter Chris Keall travelled to Germany and Italy, where Vodafone already has 5G rollouts underway. Here's his sneak preview of some of the exciting 5G-enabled developments that could be heading our way.
Doctors may be able to remotely treat accident victims being flown to hospital in the Westpac Rescue Helicopter thanks to a trial taking place in Milan, Italy.
The trial, being conducted at the city's San Raffaele Hospital, is using 5G to enable connected ambulances to transmit patient data direct to the hospital to reduce delays in treatment.
Vodafone, who are running the trial with the hospital and the Red Cross, intend using what they learn to help set up systems for the Westpac Rescue Helicopter service in New Zealand
The technology will share real-time data and 4k (ultra-high resolution) images directly from the ambulance to the hospital to both reduce delay in treatments upon arrival and to allow doctors to intervene remotely.
The trial involves a 5G-connected camera inside an ambulance plus 5G-connected equipment for measuring a patient's vital signs. Paramedics can wear 5G-connected Microsoft HoloLens smart glasses with real-time information overlaid on the lenses. Ambulances can also be connected to the light traffic system allowing for a safe and fast journey.
Vodafone, who are bringing the fifth generation mobile network technology to New Zealand next month, are trialling a number of other 5G-enabled technologies with its university and industry partners in Germany, Italy and other European countries where 5G rollouts are already under way.
Among them is an app to help shoppers navigate crowded supermarket shelves. Able to quickly guide you to, say, gluten-free products in the bread aisle or dairy-free options amid the milk, yogurt and cheese, the app can also show extra information about products and help read ingredients in a larger type size.
It is also working on a supersize tourism AR app which displays information about a number of historic sites – and how they used to look – as you walk around them today.
Savvier shopping and site-seeing (Supplied)
In another trial a 5G setup with video from a Huawei Mate 20 Pro attached to her helmet has allowed blind paralympian skier Noemi Ristau of Germany to ski solo. The video is streamed with telemetric data back to a control centre which then relays audio instructions to Ristau.
Ristau began to lose her eyesight at 12 and was virtually blind by 18. She usually competes with a guide who skis ahead of her and relays instructions through a headset, but the 5G setup allowed her to ski alone.
Blind Paralympian Noemi Ristau could ski solo, thanks to 5G video streamed to her guide in real-time (Supplied)
5G-powered virtual reality headsets were recently used to put some viewers in among the performers in the recent finals of the Italian version of X Factor. Offering a real-time, immersive experience, the VR rigs gave viewers the choice of a 360-degree view from cameras mounted on-stage amid the performers, those giving a judges-eye view and one from the technicians on the wings of the stage.
The first ever international competitive mobile esports circuit to be played on 5G was staged by Vodafone at the ESL Mobile Open in Milan in September to prove the technology's effectiveness as a gaming platform. Its low latency means it can be used to play more demanding multi-layer games like Fortnite.
