On February 5, Park Jin-hyo, EVP, ICT R&D Center at SK Telecom, explains 5G V2X technology at K-City, pilot city for self-driving in Hwaseong . 

SK Telecom and Korean Transportation Safety Authority (TS) announced today that two 5G self-driving cars successfully ran “cooperative driving,” where traffic information was effectively shared between the two vehicles, in K-City, the pilot city for self-driving located in Hwaseong.

In partnership with TS and Samsung Electronics, SK Telecom deployed 5G network using 28 GHz ultra-high frequency broadband in every corner of K-City that covers an area of 360,000㎡ last December. Traffic related infrastructure such as CCTVs, traffic lights have been linked to self-driving cars and control centers through 5G technology.

For the demonstration, two 5G network connected autonomous cars that SK Telecom and TS co-developed were used.

During the trial driving, two vehicles utilized a 5G vehicle communication technology, V2X (Vehicle to Everything), 3D HD map, a deep-learning-based decision-making technology to communicate each other, and to share traffic information with the control center and traffic lights. In the end, the vehicles safely completed driving on K-City’s some 2-km track which included a school zone, crossroads and a highway.

This is the first time that multiple number of 5G self-driving cars ran in coordination while monitoring each other’s route and road safety. SK Telecom said that starting 2019, the company will introduce its self-driving technology on the nation’s main highways, utilizing its 5G network. 

When the cars perceived a school zone area, they automatically slowed down. When a life-size model of a child appeared on the road, a CCTV set up to a streetlight immediately sent a message using 5G technology to the nearby self-driving vehicle. Upon receiving the message, the vehicle instantly stopped and started driving only after it was confirmed that the model was not on the road. This showed that SK Telecom’s 5G technology’s ultra-low-latency of less than 1ms of response time can help prevent traffic accidents.

A self-driving car automatically stops when 5G and HD map alert the driver for child appearing on the vehicle’s blind spot.

The vehicles received information on highway constructions using 5G technology from the control center and reset the driving route. They also raised speed to 60km/h when they entered the highway. At the time of multiple vehicle collisions, the preceding vehicle sent an instant report of the accident via 5G network to the car behind and to the control center. This allowed the car behind to drop its speed and change its lane and safely drive through the accident scene.

When two cars were simultaneously at the crossroads with no traffic sign, they communication was made via 5G network both between the vehicles and with the control center to decide which one to first pass through the congested area.

Two self-driving cars at the crossroads are communicating via 5G network to decide which vehicle to first pass through the congested area.

The self-driving car communicated more than 100 times a second using 5G network with the control center and another vehicle to successfully minimize the risk of accidents on the road. 

For the demonstration, a HD map that precisely depicted nearby traffic signs and lights, and information on K-City’s driving lanes within some-cm accuracy was adopted. When the self-driving cars were on the move, various driving information, including nearby vehicle’s real-time location, traffic light signal & traffic information, highway construction, multiple collision incident, was reflected on the HD map on a real-time basis. The autonomous car could make decisions while driving based on various information it had received from the HD map.

Screens of 5G video call and HD map that were mounted inside a self-driving car

SK Telecom explained that it can drastically reduce self-driving car’s accidents using 5G V2X and 3D HD map even in bad weather conditions and at night when camera and sensor technologies might not function properly.

The company also showcased its top-notch 5G technologies, including self-driving electric bus and 5G HD map-producing vehicle on the site.

SK Telecom had previously co-developed AI technology that helps self-driving cars make decisions on its own with Seoul National University and Nvidia. With the technology, autonomous cars can make decisions ranging from changing lanes and controlling speed, to making detour, based on information and AI analysis obtained via 5G network.

Pushing the envelope, SK Telecom will soon deploy its quantum technology-based security module on autonomous vehicles. Quantum security module can prevent out-side attempt to hack communications between self-driving cars and the control center or IoT devices.

The company pointed out that its • '5G Network' • 'HD Map' • 'AI Technology' • 'Quantum Cryptography' are the top pillars of its autonomous driving technology. They all serve to raise the level of road safety for self-driving.

“We will continuously enhance our 5G prowess such as V2X and 3D HD map by taking advantage of the stability of our 5G network,” said Suh Sung-won, President of MNO Business of SK Telecom. “Through our impeccable 5G technology, we will continue to contribute to the society by leading the era of safe self-driving.”