UWindsor launches 5G connected campus

The University of Windsor (UWindsor) and TELUS have announced the launch of a 5G connected campus and commercial lab to support advanced research with 5G technology and establish the university as a go-to centre for innovation. TELUS, a world-leading communications technology company, is investing $5 million as part of a multi-year agreement that began in 2020 to fuel the development of new applications for 5G technology.

The collaboration will not only support multidisciplinary research in the agriculture, advanced manufacturing, and connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) sectors, but will transform UWindsor campuses to enhance teaching, innovation and collaboration.

TELUS Atrium for Engineering and Innovation

Beyond the development of the 5G commercial lab, the central space in the Ed Lumley Centre for Engineering and Innovation will be named the TELUS Atrium. The area is fostering collaborative concept discovery, ideation and creativity as students and researchers build solutions that meet today’s global challenges.

Initial joint projects include:

• Equipping connected vehicles for cross-border travel using 5G
• Working with the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN), Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and policy makers to better equip connected vehicles to solve cross border challenges, including congestion and supply chain obstacles, using 5G.
• Developing new cybersecurity applications for connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs)
• In collaboration with Mitacs, a nonprofit national research organization, this project will explore the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and deep learning to identify potential vulnerabilities and access points in CAVs, enhancing safety and security.
• Exploring the effective use of AI and Internet of Things (IoT) sensors in high-tech greenhouses to enable more efficient food production
• UWindsor has partnered with Horteca to launch a two-acre, fully-operational connected research greenhouse in Harrow, Ontario. Using 5G network technology, the greenhouse will use IoT and compute capabilities to make food production more scalable, while reducing cost and footprint.