Professor Een-Kee Hong at the Department of Electrical Engineering has started research using the e-UM 5G communication network technology

Professor Een-Kee Hong of the Department of Electrical Engineering introduced the e-UM 5G frequency for the first time among universities in Korea. Professor Hong works in conjunction with LG CNS, an IT service subsidiary of LG Corporation, to conduct research to implement and verify intelligent factory operation services in the laboratory using e-UM 5G frequencies. Professor Hong said, “As part of our joint research project, we were supplied with a 5G frequency-specific service within the specified range at a very affordable cost. Considering our prior difficulties such as prohibitive cost of equipment and frequency allocation issues, this opportunity opens a promising new door for us.”

Professor Hong, using the e-UM 5G frequency together with LG CNS, is building a test bed for an intelligent factory that requires both wired and wireless communication technologies. LG CNS is in charge of wired sections developing control software operating system and equipment needed. The operating system for the wired sections needs to assign specific micro-bandwidth for each service component that the OS executes, but the technology for splitting specific bandwidth of wireless frequency for use in different services does not yet exist. This will be the main research focus of Professor Hong, as he will study application services and wireless technologies necessary for running an intelligent factory.

Unlike the previous hardware-oriented mobile communication system, it is possible to secure price competitiveness by configuring a mobile communication system with software. But before that, the optimization problem must be resolved. This is why artificial intelligence technology is important in the field of mobile communication. Professor Hong said, “We are working hard to apply artificial intelligence to mobile communication. The range of possible applications of artificial intelligence in the field of mobile communication is very wide, from software control to data analysis.”

Once the software mobile communication system is fully implemented, it will have numerous practical applications and collaborative possibilities in diverse fields such as the smart farm project of the College of Life Sciences. Professor Hong said, “If you build a mobile communication system in a smart farm, you can diagnose the condition of crops remotely through various data.” Collaboration with the medical field is also expected. Hospitals need to secure a large amount of data with reliability, but data transmission through Wi-Fi has limitations. If a 5G frequency network is established, data transmission can be executed much more efficiently.

In a lab on the Global Campus, about 20 motors are set up to run simulations and test intelligent factory implementation with constant data feedback. Professor Hong explained, “Conveyor belts and intelligent robots operated in factories are all operated by motors, which require constant and stable voltage to maintain its optimal performance.” Equipment that can measure such data as motor vibration and temperature is introduced to collect various data and analyze it using artificial intelligence to diagnose equipment failures in the future. He said, “This type of AI management technology has not been implemented in the currently available intelligent factory, so it has a great potential value. There has been a positive reaction from the market that many companies are interested in collaborative research.”

As this is the first time the e-UM 5G frequency was introduced in a university research environment, it is expected to expand in various ways. Professor Hong expressed his wish, saying, “If we successfully provide new services using the e-UM 5G frequencies, it will become a priming water for spreading related research across the country.”