Doosan First To Use 5G for Worldwide ‘TeleOperation’

In what is one of the highlights of the Bauma 2019 exhibition in Munich in Germany, Doosan is the first manufacturer to use 5G technology for worldwide ‘TeleOperation’ of construction machines.

Doosan has coined the term TeleOperation to describe the operation of construction equipment from a remote station. At Bauma, remote really means remote - operating a Doosan DX380LC-5 40 tonne crawler excavator located over 8500 km away in Incheon in South Korea from an operator’s booth on the Bauma stand in Munich.

TeleOperation has been co-developed with LG U+, the South Korean telecommunications and data services company. The TeleOperation demonstration on the Doosan stand is the first to remotely control a machine across such a large distance between locations which have a time difference of eight hours, using 5G telecommunications technology.

With its ultrareliability and low latency, the new 5G network in the Doosan system provides 10 times faster bandwidth and 10 times lower latency than the 4G network. Special features incorporated include a low-latency video transmission module with fast video transfer (with encoding and decoding), an important factor in reducing the time delay. LG U+ has also introduced new modules providing low latency image processing to further minimize the time delay. Another factor in creating more effective remote control is the use of Doosan's innovative electrohydraulic technology in the DX380LC-5 excavator.

Whilst it can be used for general earthmoving applications, the new Teleoperation system is ideal for operating excavators in dangerous applications such as industrial waste disposal, involving hazardous, toxic or radioactive substances. It is also useful for work on collapsing waste piles and in areas where there are buried mines and other munitions. Safety can be further increased via the zoning and area limitation functions available through the Doosan TeleOperation system.

Check out this video for a closer look: