Chula Engineering and AIS 5G showcase AIS 5G PLAY GROUND & 5G GARAGE

The Faculty of Engineering at Chulalongkorn University has partnered with AIS 5G since the initial trials of 5G in 2018 to the present.

They have launched an R&D 5G centre, the first ever “AIS 5G PLAY GROUND & 5G GARAGE” in Thailand in Chula Engineering’s Centennial Memorial Building.

Chula Engineering has installed a LIVE Private Network with 5G base stations on 2 frequencies: 2600 MHz and 26 GHz (mmWave), and other activities to support research into 5G innovation for both students and faculty. This support provided by industry will strengthen the country as a whole.    

Wasit Wattanasap, Head of Nationwide Operation and Support Department at Advanced Info Service Pcl. (AIS), said at the launch of AIS 5G PLAY GROUND & 5G GARAGE, about cooperation with the Faculty of Engineering at Chulalongkorn University, “We are extremely honoured and proud to be involved in supporting education, providing spaces to develop readiness for students, developers and everybody involved in Thailand’s digital tech industries to have the chance for hands-on experimentation and develop their ideas with new technologies such as AI, ML, VR, AR, MR, IoT, Metaverse and Robotics, all on 5G."

Although Thailand has had commercial 5G services since 2020, with AIS the first provider to launch the service on 1420 MHz, it is still necessary to develop the benefits of 5G to upgrade industry and infrastructure for the people.

Digital transformation in particular will transform the business models of every sector to be ready to deal with the changes wrought by digital disruption and the outbreak of COVID-19.

Therefore, working with the education sector for the purposes of research and development, as well as trials and experimentation, has always been our top priority.

This cooperation with Chula Engineering from 2018 to the present is still ongoing through the development of different use cases, both from the research of the faculty and student  projects. All of them are focused on innovating for the nation.

“The first ever AIS 5G PLAY GROUND & 5G GARAGE in Thailand, at Chula Engineering’s Centennial Memorial Building, has the goal of being a space for experimentation and trials of 5G in a LIVE Private Network environment. Students, faculty and developers in the 5G ecosystem can use the space and the unlimited 5G installed to study and test different technologies such as AI, ML, VR, AR, MR, IoT, Metaverse and Robotics. 5G base stations operating on 2600 MHz and 26 GHz (mmWave) have been installed to support a diversity of use cases including Industrial solutions, Holograms Solutions or Fixed Wireless Access (FWA). Spectral bands such as 26 GHz offer vast amounts of bandwidth with low latency. There is also support for transmitting equipment such as 5G CPE, providing know-how about 5G tech work structures. On top of this are seminars and workshops with guest speakers from many industries to develop technical skills in both hard skills and soft skills, and while inviting them to co-develop prototype services on 5G networks,” Wasit added

Prof. Supot Teachavorasinskun, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at Chulalongkorn University said, “Chula Engineering is a technically-focused educational institution working with every sector, including state organizations such as NBTC and DE, or the private sector, to test out use cases which could maximally benefit core sectors of the economy. Therefore, a developers’ environment for virtual reality such as AIS 5G Playground and 5G Garage provides 5G Spectra in a LIVE Network format to meet the needs of students and faculty as a space for research and exchanging ideas and creating innovations in the Sandbox. Crucially, it is a combining of theoretical and practical knowledge gained from real-use experience from AIS, which will enhance skills for students and faculty in developing innovations for Thailand through 5G in the most appropriate manner.”

Wasit concluded, “The educational sector prioritizes training and skills to support 5G technology, which is an admirable vision because 5G is the technology to level up capabilities in all kinds of different industries to drive the country productively. This is from its 3 basic properties: improved speeds, better connectivity of IoT, and more responsive and stable networks. A lot of education yields a lot of expertise, which can be adapted without having to follow the lead from foreign countries all the time, and AIS will be on hand to offer its full support.”

Use cases showcased at “AIS 5G PLAY GROUND & 5G GARAGE” @CHULAENGINEERING

1.    WALKIE: A domestic service robot to do household chores and carry things which knows where everything is kept and walks around the rooms autonomously, giving responses in real time, which relies on 5G capabilities.

This project was submitted by EIC Chula and already won second place in the world at the RoboCup@Home Open Platform League.

2.    Khai Muk: A home healthcare robot with many uses in TeleHealth.

The model on demonstration display is to train physiotherapy for Parkinson’s patients under medical supervision, enabling them to avoid hospital visits with accurate data tracking of the patient’s progress for doctors and physiotherapists through 5G capabilities.

3.    Rehab: Universal Controller is a mechanical arm assisting stroke patients with muscular problems with efficient physiotherapy and comprehensive data tracking on 5G networks to ensure correct procedures.

The mechanical arm can also offload burdens for physiotherapists who then have the time to treat more patients.

4.    Autonomous Shuttle Bus: An Autonomous Shuttle pod supported by the NBTC and the Broadcasting and Telecommunications Research and Development Fund (BTFP), powered by 5G driverless systems, and expected to be operational on real roads by the end of the year.

5.    IntaniaVerse: Chula Engineering’s pioneering attempts to build a Metaverse for education, such as the power station at Thung Na Dam, and therapy for the elderly with virtual reality applications.

Now the AIS 5G PLAY GROUND & 5G GARAGE has been added. The program has now delivered a training course in building the Metaverse. Chula Engineering supports lifelong learning for all citizens, students and all interested parties with AIS part of this program.