Telerobotics involves the remote operation of robots that can be controlled from a distance. It enables the use of robots in hazardous areas, inaccessible environments, or places where human life is not conducive. The Mars Rover serves as a prime example.
The applications of telerobotics span various sectors such as healthcare, maintenance, construction, mining, exploration, search and rescue, and recovery operations.
Healthcare is an emerging market for telerobotics, particularly in the field of telesurgery. Surgeons can remotely perform operations and surgical procedures on individuals using remotely controlled robots when the patient cannot access the hospital or the surgeon physically.
In the mining industry, where operations can be perilous, especially in areas at risk of collapse, the use of remote-controlled mining robots and remotely driven trucks, including bulldozers, trucks, shovels, and water trucks, is essential for safety and remote control. Telemining has evolved as a result.
The utilization of Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drones, which are remotely controlled drones, is gaining momentum in search and rescue operations. An entire industry centered around disaster response robots is emerging, with robots capable of flying, swimming, crawling through rubble, and extinguishing fires. These robots play a crucial role in helping emergency services and first responders gain access to highly risky areas, providing invaluable assistance.
Soliton is collaborating with robotic manufacturers to pioneer ultra-low latency live streaming, enabling near-real-time control of robots. Through its OEM software Zao SDK, based on the RASCOW2 streaming protocol, Soliton offers software that can be seamlessly integrated into existing hardware, providing secure and encrypted connectivity across multiple network connections simultaneously. These connections can include multiple cellular connections, Wi-Fi, and/or satellite connections, which are bonded together to ensure reliability and increased bandwidth. The typical delay over 4G is 65ms (0.065s) from glass to glass, and even lower over 5G networks. By utilizing LAN tunneling or serial connections over the bonded network, a return path is established, allowing control signals from the teleoperator to be sent back to the robot for near-real-time control. Currently, the Zao SDK is supported for NVIDIA Jetson.
Real-Time Auto Speed Control based-On Waterway model, version 2 (RASCOW2) is Soliton’s second and latest generation of its streaming protocol that enables ultra-low latency live streaming over unpredictable and unreliable networks, such as cellular.
It bonds together the connections and in real time can load balance, provide error connection and encrypt the live stream giving highly reliable video streaming, even when bit rates drop to almost nothing.
RASCOW2 is available as a hardware encoder (Zao-X) or as an OEM software (Zao SDK).
Please also read our blog: Using Ultra Low Latency Streaming in Robotics Technology