John Deere wants to streamline its factories by using 5G
16 March 2021
John Deere is planning on introducing 5G technology into its factories, including in Iowa.
Why it matters: 5G is expected to streamline operations, ranging from automated parts delivery to even how employees move in the assembly line.
- The company acquired private 5G licenses for five counties in November — including Polk, Black Hawk and Scott counties.
What exactly is 5G? It's super-fast cellular service, designed to enable our ever-expanding Internet of Things, including self-driving cars and virtual reality.
- A phone on 5G can download a movie in 15 seconds, compared to six minutes on 4G, according to the Wall Street Journal.
- Devices using 5G can also process information more quickly, making things like a drone work more smoothly.
The big picture: At factory-scale, those faster speeds can help existing equipment like cameras, sensors and automated robotics offer real-time feedback.
- Because 5G is faster than some wired connections, companies can also eliminate ethernet cables — allowing more physical flexibility with their machines and easier connections between them.
John Deere is exploring utilizing 5G in several areas:
- Using cameras to observe factory workers and make real-time recommendations on better ergonomics.
- Using virtual reality technology to streamline employee training, rather than going from machine to machine.
- Using real-time sensors that can detect when machines aren't functioning properly to improve maintenance.
Keep an eye out: The pilot program starts in 2022.
This story first appeared in theAxios Des Moines newsletter, designed to help readers get smarter, faster on the most consequential news unfolding in their own backyard.
Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.
Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.
The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.
- The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.
What the transcripts say:
- Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
- The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
- Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."
Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.