Orientation phase for new students at CNI

The CNI took part in this year's orientation phase for the new students of electrical and communication engineering and introduced these students to 5G communication networks with a tour structured around rescue robotics as an application context.

The tour consisted of three stations:

• It started with the mobile wireless communication laboratory, equipped with networking and computational facilities allowing it to operate as a mobile operation center in various experimental deployments and research projects. The deployed robotic systems and network architecture can be monitored by the rescue forces from inside the mobile wireless communication lab.

• It was followed by an overview of a typical rescue robotic platform: The CNI Xplorer. It leverages the mobility and exploration payloads of the Spot robot from Boston Dynamics. It is equipped with our Multi-Link module for reliable teleoperation from and transmission of sampled data to the mobile operation center.

• Finally, a hands-on teleoperation experience was proposed to the students through our 5G-enabled teleoperated driving setup. The students were able to compete against one another in completing the fastest and safest lap on our experimental course while experiencing the critical character of network communications for teleoperation applications for themselves.

The students warmly received the tour, and we hope to have lighted a spark of interest in our field in them. We wish them much success and look forward to meeting them throughout their studies.