Jane Edwards
Verizon and the U.S. Marine Corps demonstrated the former’s 5G-based Tactical Humanitarian Operations Response prototype vehicle at the service’s installation in California, Nextgov reported Friday.
“At Marine Corps Air Station Miramar this week, we demonstrated THOR’s ability to enable a fully-operational 5G network that allowed: autonomous robot communication to a self-driving battery delivery vehicle, video streaming between people and vehicles in the field, data from sensors on devices operating in an austere environment, and 5G mobile edge computing being used to help decision-makers by providing a single operating picture of all of these data feeds in real-time,” Christian Guirnalda, director of Verizon 5G Labs, told the publication.
Cory Davis, director of Verizon response and public safety operations, said THOR provides users access to Joint Operations Center services, full radio interoperability and multiple connectivity options that include private 5G, tactical radio, commercial 4G LTE, microwave and Land Mobile Radio.
According to Davis, the National Incident Management System-compliant response vehicle comes with a tethered drone that could provide military and public safety personnel with an aerial view that could help them gain situational awareness and perform damage and risk assessment and search and rescue missions in the event of disasters such as earthquakes and wildfires.
The 5G-enabled vehicle has edge computing architecture and features a rear command center, an exterior touch screen display, 4G/5G radios and other components.
If you’re interested in 5G and its integration’s impact on public and private sectors, then check out the Potomac Officers Club’s Fall 2021 5G Summit coming up on Sept. 16. To register for this virtual forum and view other upcoming events, visit the POC Events page.
