What does 5G mean for robotics?

It's a vision we've seen in science fiction countless times: robots reacting independently to novel situations they couldn't possibly have been programmed for. Until now it's been no more than a fantasy, but with the advent of 5G, robotics could be on the brink of a revolution. It will be around 10 times faster than 4G speeds, with far more bandwidth and more reliable connections – and for robotics, that makes all the difference. Latency is an enormous challenge for robot developers; if it takes too long an input to be received and processed, then a movement to be calculated and executed, the robot is severely limited. Until now, the only way to transmit the vast quantities of data needed to operate robots without lag has been to keep them tethered with a wired connection, but thanks to 5G networking, that could all be about to change.