Western University says the launch of its 5G-connected research centre in partnership with Bell will enable new research.
The university is testing 5G capabilities using 3.5GHz spectrum in pre-commercial mode on its campus. The test marks the start of a $2.7 million project to deploy 5G infrastructure throughout the campus.
Bell announced the partnership with the university back in June 2020 when the Montreal-based national carrier initially launched its 5G network.
Western University notes that the first 5G site on campus will be used for research but that a full network will be available across campus by summer.
One of the research projects looks at using the responsiveness and edge computing processing capabilities of the 5G network to develop an app designed to guide student mental wellness. The app uses biofeedback to help students learn mindfulness and relaxation skills.
The biofeedback is visualized through an augmented reality (AR) program that displays changes in the heart rate to notify users about the success of their relaxation activities, such as deep breathing.
“As a very simplistic example, imagine engaging in a breathing exercise and the success of that exercise on your stress levels can be viewed on your phone as being able to move a butterfly from flying in a breeze to safely resting on a leaf,” said Western University kinesiology professor Kevin Shoemaker, in a news release.
Western University notes that this app will be rolled out to first-year students and could eventually be adopted by other institutions.
The two previously stated that the partnership will allow Western to study and evaluate 5G applications, including smart vehicle and smart city applications, virtual and augmented reality use, industrial Internet of Things applications, machine learning and more.
It’s worth noting that Bell isn’t the only national carrier to partner with a university to advance 5G research, as Rogers partnered with the University of British Columbia in 2018 to build a 5G hub on the campus. The carrier also partnered with the University of Waterloo in 2019 to launch a 5G smart campus.
Source: Western University