b'10 Partner News Summer 2020Academic5G 2020Helping small businesses: University of Manchesters Unleashed latest MEng projectUniversity of Manchester electrical and electronic engineering students are helping small businesses to engage with areas that define the 4th Industrial Revolution London Metropolitan Universitys Professor(Industry 4.0) - starting with their own Bal Virdee, from the Centre for Communicationsmechanical workshop. Like most small businesses, the workshop Technology in the School of Computing & Digitalhas equipment ranging from state-of-the-art 3D printers and laser cutting Media, chaired the 7th annual conference on 5Gmachines through to trusty legacy cutting at IET London: Savoy Place on 29 January 2020.machines. Interfacing equipment from different manufacturers and decades can be challenging, so the final-year MEng team has been researching a range of retro-fit solutions to enhance the safety and In association with the IET, Professor VirdeeSpeakers included: reliability of the equipment. has organised and chaired the event for the past seven years. Prof Bal Virdee, Chair RF andConversations with workshop staff have Microwave TPN identified potential hazards, such as smallSeven years ago, there was a lot of hypeProf Mike Short CBE, Mike is Chieffires when using MDF (medium-density about 5G; however, seven years on, 5G hasScientific Adviser in the Departmentfibreboard) in the laser cutter, and oil become a reality, said Professor Virdee.for International Trade.leaks with one of the cutting machines. The purpose of this conference was toFederico Boccardi, Principal TechnologyTherefore, as well as conventional thermal, celebrate the launch of 5G technology inAdvisor, OFCOM speed and current monitoring, the students the UK. In fact, in the UK this technologyProf Andy Sutton, Principalare retro-fitting flame and acoustic sensors. was launched last year by all four mobileNetwork Architect, BTnetworks. Today there are 40 towns andEd King, Principal Architect, BBC Putting their communications and data cities who have 5G.Ben Grubb, Head of Programmenetworking lectures into practice, the Strategy and Engagement, 5G Testbedsstudents have implemented local nodes, This technology is faster, more stable, andand Trials Programme, DCMS wireless links, databases, bespoke servers more versatile than existing 4G technology.Dr Dritan Kaleshi, Head of 5G,and data analysis methods, displaying It will be the backbone for the 4th industrialDigital Catapult outputs on a website and sending alerts revolution and revolutionise wirelessDr Reza Karimi, Director, Huawei Technology via a phone app. Their evaluation criteria communications, that is, machine-to- Prof Dimitra Simeonidou, Director of Smartincluded ease of use, cyber security and machine communications, Internet of thingsInternet Lab, University of Bristol cost. (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI). 5G willDr Kafil Ahmed, RF Design Lead, make a big impact on many technologies,Network Rail What are MEng projects?such as immersive gaming, autonomousThey enable a team of five or six students driving and augmented reality. All previous talks on 5G technology areto go into depth on commercial and available online to view at IET.tv. Thetechnical aspects of an engineering Presentations were given from keypresentations are led by those shapingchallenge over two semesters and industrial stakeholders of this technology, includingthis technology, and provide a historicalcollaborations are encouraged. This project the Department for Digital, Culture, Mediaperspective on how it has evolved year onenables undergraduate students to engage & Sport (DCMS), OFCOM, mobile networkyear.with over 1,000 staff members across the providers, manufacturers and researchers.University. Find out more here: The key feature of this event was liveevents.theiet.org/2020-5g-unleashed/ Contact Dr Judith Apsley: demos on 5G by various companies,j.apsley@manchester.ac.uk or Dr Emad including BT/EE, Blu Wireless, Comms365,Alsusa: e.alsusa@manchester.ac.uk BBC, Altair, Dassault Systmes, Universityfor more information.of Sussex and Samsung.'