It was recently announced that an Internet of things (IoT) garbage truck that can detect local road repairs will be featured in an Australian 5G research project.

Indeed, the project will be led by the Swinburne University of Technology, Victoria’s Brimbank City Council, and Optus and will use 5G technology and IoT sensors so as to digitally support cities in Australia. In order to do so, high-resolution cameras and GPS sensors will be attached to the truck, thus collecting 3D perception data at a rate of 900Mbps. The data will then be sent in real-time to a cloud-based system that identifies the need for maintenance on roads.

This will help the local council reduce the time it takes to identify, document, and fix issues, hence removing the need for costly manual reporting and audit. The project will provide a quicker and more efficient way to identify the assets in need of maintenance and share the information with the right people.

The project is being supported by AU$1.18 million in funding from the federal government’s 5G Innovation Initiative.