By
Mayowa Adebajo
April 10th, 2024
Drift Champion Vaughn Gittin Jr. successfully tested driving a remote controlled car using the Samsung VR headset over Vodafone’s high-speed low-latency 5G services.
Last weekend, Korean tech Samsung joined hands with telecom operator Vodafone to demonstrate the power the remote-controlled cars using the 5G network services.
Samsung partnered with Vodafone and Designated Driver at the Goodwood Festival of Speed to show the demo of the world’s first remote-controlled 5G car. The test was a perfect demonstration of high-end tech at play: remote-controlled car + virtual reality + 5G.
Drift Champion Vaughn Gittin Jr. was driving a Lincoln MKZ controlled from different locations on the drifting arena of Goodwood Hillclimb. The entire setup was powered using a Samsung VR Headset, a Galaxy S10 5G, a Designated Driver teleoperation system, and Vodafone’s ultra high-speed 5G network.
Speaking before the event, Gittin Jr. said:
“Being a Professional Fun-Haver, I’ve built my career on pushing the limits of car control. However, I have never envisioned myself getting crazy behind the wheel using VR, phones and remote driving gear. Designated Driver, Samsung and Vodafone are all bringing their A game when it comes to cutting-edge technologies.
I’m going to put on a VR headset to put on a fun interactive show for the Goodwood crowd. And I’ll be remotely driving the S-Drone from the Future Lab, on the other side of the Goodwood estate. This is going to get wild!’’
Successful Test Results
As stated the demonstration was to showcase the key benefits of 5G network i.e. the low latency. The test was pretty successful in showing the power of Vodafone’s 5G high-speed services. Max Taylor, Consumer Director at Vodafone UK said:
“Vodafone is proud to be demonstrating true innovation and another 5G world first with Samsung and Designated Driver. Vodafone’s 5G network provides speeds up to 10 times quicker than 4G and super low latency, which is critical for this application where an instantaneous response time is crucial”.
However, the test took place in the vicinity where there were hardly any other 5G users. Thus, they could achieve a near-zero delay while piloting the car through the driving arena. Whatsoever, the test was very successful to show all the major technologies at play, simultaneously.
The world’s first remotely-controlled #5G car at @fosgoodwood powered by @SamsungUK and @VodafoneUK using the #GalaxyS105G #FOS pic.twitter.com/mf3ABOdPIf
— Dan Grabham (@dangrabham) July 5, 2019
Yoon Lee, Senior Vice President, Product Innovation and Content & Services, Samsung Electronics America, said:
“This proof of concept is a great stepping stone towards remote presence use-case using 5G and the Goodwood FOS was the perfect testing ground. We are thrilled to lead future consumer experience in 5G by pushing the boundaries of our 5G product portfolio and technologies.”
Goodwood has been one of the ideal testing grounds for 5G services. Kate Beaumont, Innovation, Technology, and Services Director at Samsung UK & Ireland said:
“Goodwood provides the perfect showcase for people to discover and enjoy our latest innovations, along with our partners.
Designated Driver CEO Manuela Papadopol added:
“We’re excited to be here with Samsung, Vodafone and Vaughn Gittin Jr., showing the world what is possible when you combine innovative and emerging technologies like teleoperation, virtual reality and 5G networks. By utilising the 5G network, we’re able to achieve the lowest latency possible, enabling Vaughn to pilot the car at relatively-high speeds.”