Robot Tele-Operations with 5G NR Sidelink

5G New Radio (NR) sidelink, introduced in 3GPP Release 16, facilitates direct device-to-device communication, enabling robots to operate independently of traditional cellular networks. As industries increasingly adopt robotic solutions for remote operations, the need for reliable, low-latency communication has become paramount. This paper presents an experimental demonstration of robot tele-operations utilizing 5G NR sidelink technology. Our demonstration showcases the effectiveness of NR sidelink in enhancing robotic tele-operation by integrating real-time video streaming capabilities. We performed a series of experiments in dynamic environments to evaluate the responsiveness, video quality, and operational efficiency of robotic systems utilizing 5G NR sidelink. The results indicate that the low latency and high data rates provided by 5G NR sidelink significantly improve the operator's ability to control robotic systems, particularly in challenging scenarios.