PRESS RELEASE: ZTE Corporation and the Sichuan Branch of China Telecom has launched the first “5G + VR” system in China’s Sichuan province. The system employs 5G network, medical robots, 360-degree 8K panoramic cameras, VR glasses and other technical means to achieve remote visits to patients in ICUs.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, the original visitor management system of the SICU (Surgical Intensive Care Unit) of West China Hospital has been suspended to ensure the health and safety of patients, so their family members can only learn about their recovery from the doctor.

In order to change such a situation, ZTE and the Sichuan Branch of China Telecom have jointly created the “5G + VR” system for West China Hospital. Patients’ family members only need to wear VR glasses at designated places in the hospital, and then the medical robot will automatically move towards the patients’ beds. By virtue of the 5G network with high-speed and low-latency transmission, the real-time 8K resolution panoramic video inside the ICU can be sent back to realize real-time two-way interactive communication between family members and patients. The immersive experience makes family members feel like they are accompanying the patients.

The “5G + VR” system is not the first attempt by ZTE and the Sichuan Branch of China Telecom in the “5G + Smart Healthcare” field. At the beginning of 2020, they assisted the Sichuan Health Commission and West China Hospital to use 5G 3000M Network to establish China’s first “5G+ COVID 19” remote medical consultation system. The live audio and video of the system are smooth, which strongly supports the prevention and control of the pandemic.

To date, ZTE has been committed to developing “agile” cloud network capabilities to better support innovation and fast iteration, and will continue to corporate with the Sichuan Branch of China Telecom to actively explore the wide application of 5G technology in industries. Moving forward, they will, together with other industry partners, inject 5G into the industries, to jointly open a new era of digital society and win the new future of digital economy.