A Smart Future with 5G

5G wide ranging applications can change the way we live and work.

10:55 12 November 2020

5G is set to change the way we live and work - this is the main focus of Dr Hannah Fry's new podcast on 5G-powered tech. Collaborating with comedian Suzi Ruffell, the duo explored wonderful new 5G-powered technologies that are set to change the way we do our jobs and unwind at home. 

 

Many of the technologies that the duo encountered are already changing people's lives right now. In the 'home' episode, they spoke to locals in Orkney, where a 5G network has been switched on. 

 

‘Faster connectivity has had a massive impact,’ says Suzi. ‘Apparently BBC’s Asian Network is one of the most popular stations now on the Island of Stronsay.’

 

Suzi says, ‘There are so many benefits to a hologram call. You can walk around a picture and see it from any angle. ‘You feel like you’re actually in the room with the person. You also have the added benefits of things like cutting out travel time.’

 

Suzi added that 5G could also be used to bring 3D models of houses to life or to show off the shapes of proteins. 

 

‘‘It can help very brainy people do their jobs,’ Suzi says.

 

In the "work" episode, the duo checked out an augmented reality headset designed to help firemen see clearly inside burning buildings allowing them to move through dangerous environments far more quickly, efficiently and safely. 

 

Hannah and Suzi also met doctors using 5G to treat patients remotely, examining severely ill patients while they're still in the ambulance, using video, audio and vibration feedback. 

 

Suzi says, ‘Those extra minutes are genuinely life-saving amounts of time.’