Sumitomo Electric conducts 5G and AI demonstration at Osaka plant

June 17, 2021

Visualizing worker movements and working hours in real time

On June 9, 2021, Sumitomo Electric Industries, a major cutting tool manufacturer, announced that it had conducted a demonstration experiment using 5G and AI, in collaboration with telecommunications provider SoftBank.

The experiment took place at the company’s Osaka Works and was carried out between March 26 and May 24, 2021. The purpose was to automatically visualize the movement and working hours of employees in real time.

Real-time video analysis using cloud-based AI

As part of the experiment, four cameras installed within the plant recorded the workers’ movements. The video data was transmitted over 5G to a cloud server, where it was analyzed using artificial intelligence.

Previously, Sumitomo Electric had measured working hours manually. By adopting 5G and AI technologies, the company succeeded in significantly reducing the human resources required for these tasks.