Real-time drone communication thanks to TIP's 5G network

In late September, emergency services from the Dibbersen and Buchholz volunteer fire brigades fought their way through a smoke-filled building in the TIP Innovationspark Nordheide to rescue people. This exercise is also the last milestone of "Intelligent Civil Protection", a sub-project of USIN5G. The 5G emergency information system, developed for the pilot project, is being put through its paces. Around 100 volunteer fire brigades in the Harburg region have received tablets with the installed system. Their requirements have been incorporated into the further development of the software. Thanks to 5G, firefighters can use the tablets to detect hazardous substances or locate hydrants on their way to an emergency. Using a digital model of the building, the commander can guide the team by radio through thick smoke. Hopes are now high that firefighters will be able to locate firefighters in future.

Is 5G technology delivering? Torsten Lorenzen, Deputy District Fire Chief, says: "Many things are already going well, such as the 3D building model or radio control. However, locating the forces in the building could be better." That requires highly accurate data right down to the centimetre as firefighters usually cannot even see their hands in thick smoke. A deviation of 30 centimetres means that someone could be to the right or left of a wall. Overall, Lorenzen is satisfied. "We can rescue people much faster with 5G and our work is safer." The sub-project, "Intelligent Disaster Response", exemplifies what is possible when partners across the Hamburg Metropolitan Region and elsewhere pool their expertise. The medical and safety technology company Dräger in Lübeck and the drone specialist Beagle Systems  in Hamburg are also on board, as is the RWTH Aachen University.

Crucially, the USIN5G project gives SMEs in particular access to application-oriented research. "Companies and academia are trying things out together and looking for clever applications for 5G technology, and that's great," says Evelyn Stegmann, Project Manager. The e-commerce startup, Accelery, for instance, sells laser engraving services for everything from love locks to wine glasses. As part of the Smart Services Platform, a sub-project of USIN5G, the company has developed a 5G-connected mobile robot with the Leuphana University Lüneburg. Engravings have become flexible as a 5G data platform has accelerated production and  Accelery is now more efficient. The TIP Innovation Park Nordheide is now equipped with sensors and a drone for the Intelligent Production and Buildings sub-project. The sensors provide information about the weather, pollutants, heat build-up and damage to buildings and could also be used, for instance, in building technology or property monitoring.

The German government subsidized USIN5G with EUR 3.5 million of which Harburg paid EUR 175,000 through late 2024. The 5G campus network is now a permanent fixture in the TIP Innovation Park Nordheide. "The technology has the potential to drive growth in many sectors and the economy, as USIN5G has shown," says Stegmann. "In Buchholz, other 5G research projects worth EUR 11 million are underway under the auspices of WLH Wirtschaftsförderung im Landkreis Harburg GmbH and will be further developed."
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