Issue link: https://resources.mouser.com/i/1313800
As robots will become mobile and able to interact with people, significant increases in production throughput should be achievable along with greater product quality and operator safety. To maintain very low latency throughout this reimagined factory, it will be necessary to rely heavily on edge computing within the network. Edge computing brings intelligence and functionality to the "edges" of a network where the actual applications reside, similar to what distributed computing achieved decades ago. Robots on the Field The "untethering" of robots via 5G and GPS-based geolocation will allow them to perform functions impossible today. For example, in agriculture, robots could wander through fields monitoring growing conditions and sending video and other sensor information back to a computer located virtually anywhere, or even perform activities such as spraying, pruning, and harvesting (Figure 2). A company called FFRobotics has developed what it calls a fresh-fruit robotics harvester that combines robotic controls with image processing software algorithms that allow it to find and distinguish between saleable and damaged produce as well as between fruit that is either not yet ripe or dead. A technology called High-throughput Plant Phenotyping (HTPP) combines genetics, sensors, and robots that could be used to develop new crop varieties, as well as improved nutrient content and tolerance to environmental conditions. This would be accomplished using the sensors on robots to measure various characteristics and send their findings back to for analysis to scientists who could be located virtually anywhere. Other robots are being developed to plant and track seeds to improve the efficiency of farming and many other aspects of agriculture that people now perform. In the future, many are likely to be performed by remotely-controlled machines. Qorvo: Enabling 5G Infrastructure Qorvo is a leading global supplier of RF solutions with a diverse portfolio of solutions that "connect and protect,"communication applications such as radar, Wi-Fi customer premises equipment for home and work, high-speed connectivity in LTE and 5G base stations, cloud connectivity via data center communications and telecom transport, automotive connectivity, and other IoT, including smart home solutions. Qorvo's leading edge products include gallium arsenide (GaAs) and gallium nitride (GaN) power amplifiers (PAs), low-noise amplifiers (LNAs), switches, complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) system- | 18 | Figure 1: Industrial robots are used for palletizing food products like bread and toast at a bakery in Germany. (Source: Mouser) Figure 2: Not the usual vision of a robot, but robotic nevertheless, this machine can traverse fields commanded by 5G. Images and other sensor data that are returned to a command point and potentially stored, distributed, and processed in the cloud can increase crop yields and efficiency. (Source: Mouser) Key Features: • 8W max average power handling in Tx mode • 8W max average power handling in Tx mode • High linearity in Rx mode Key Features: • 8W max average power handling in Tx mode • Broadband; supports 5G mMIMO frequencies • 1.3dB NF in Rx mode at 3.5GHz QPB9329 4.4-5.0GHz Dual Channel Switch-LNA Module QPB9337 2.3-3.8GHz Dual Channel Switch LNA mouser.com/qorvo-qpb932x-rf-modules mouser.com/qorvo-qpb9337-lna-modules