If you took a peek inside any of Verizon’s five 5G Labs located across the U.S., on any given day you’d find startups, academics and established companies developing, testing, and refining solutions that are possible thanks to Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband.
Together with these companies we’re working to discover the next 5G “killer app” that could revolutionize industries ranging from healthcare to retail.
“Back in 2017 we said, we want to get this technology in the hands of innovators,” said Christian Guirnalda, director of Verizon’s 5G Labs. “So we put a bunch of network equipment here (at the lab) to start powering that. Now, we’re literally making holograms here using a dozen of different cameras in a volumetric capture studio to create near real-time images of what people and products look like in 3D.”
While holograms and mixed reality existed before, 5G’s super-fast speeds, low latency and high capacity can unlock even more potential from those platforms.
Consumers and entire industries are expected to benefit from improved augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality experiences provided by 5G. For example, stores should be better able to serve their customers by making shopping more interactive in a mixed-reality environment.
One 5G application developed at the lab enables users to hold their tablet up to several shelves of groceries and quickly identify which products contain allergens or even have the highest user ratings. Using 5G and AR, that data is displayed over the products in near real-time on your screen.
“The limitation with 4G and AR is that I can only highlight one or two objects and overlay digital information,” said TJ Vitollo, director of Verizon 5G Dev Labs. “With 5G, I can literally see dozens of objects that are in my field of view and have them augment at the same time to quickly make a purchasing decision.”
That means thanks to 5G, one day you may be able to see what’s safe for your family to eat while simply walking down the aisle of the grocery store with your smartphone!
Best Buy and Gizmodo recently featured Verizon’s NYC 5G lab in a video called “What’s Next In Tech”. Click here for a look inside!
For related media inquiries, please contact Christina.moon.ashraf@verizon.com
