5G video streaming could speed up the time it takes for patients to get emergency treatment.
Experts at Kingston University have teamed up with Internet of Things (IoT) company Pangea Connected to research and develop new applications that would rely on the consistent, high-speed connectivity offered by 5G mobile networks to assist the emergency services.
The researchers are working on a 5G-enabled video streaming system that would provide a direct link between ambulances and waiting hospital teams, allowing A&E doctors to make life-saving decisions on patient care by viewing live footage from ambulances.
The project will also explore the use of techniques for developing 5G-enabled body-worn cameras for police forces to speed up crime scene assessment, as well as improved CCTV solutions.
“Alongside speed increases which will rival those delivered by optical fibre, 5G will incorporate IoT technology, which opens up so many possibilities for the health sector and across the emergency services through the use of smart devices,” said Professor of Wireless Communications Christos Politis, an expert in wireless network research.
“The idea is to give doctors and surgeons a virtual environment to see what they are dealing with in real time. It could help with triaging care or even allow medics to advise ambulance crews on treatment, improving chances of survival in life or death cases.”
Associate Professor Dr Nada Philip, who specialises in video compression, said one of the challenges was delivering high quality video consistently through wireless networks when travelling at high speed.
“When you stream multimedia content, it will be affected by different network conditions. We will be looking at how to ensure the moving images arrive in high definition, allowing for accurate medical diagnosis and enabling police forces to identify people from their body-camera footage,” she added.
To learn more about how 5G will enable new use cases in a variety of sectors, download our Next-generation connectivity report.
Tags: Internet of Things, IoT, Next generation connectivity, 5G, 5G video, 5G video streaming
