Chongqing - “A new era of transportation, moving from a digital domain tailored for humans to large-scale collaborations designed for artificial intelligence machines.” This message was shared by Zhang Ping, the Chinese Academy of Engineering academician and professor at Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, at the 2023 Smart China Expo (SCE 2023) on September 4.

Zhang Ping is an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and a Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications professor. (Graphics/Chen Yingzhu)

China’s commendable progress in intelligent connected vehicles supported Zhang’s insights on the evolution of intelligent transportation, especially from a communication standpoint.

Building 6G modern communication system

China is poised at the cutting edge of 5G advancements, a pivotal technology that promises to significantly enhance communication support and vehicle-road collaboration, as highlighted by Zhang.

However, despite the nation’s leadership in 5G applications, the ultimate vision of comprehensive autonomous driving and seamless vehicle-road cooperation to mitigate traffic issues remains elusive.

Zhang emphasized the need to understand the intricate relationship between communication and intelligence systems, which is crucial in realizing the dream of an intelligent transportation system that can navigate the challenges of contemporary roadways. Zhang suggested establishing a state-of-the-art communication system enabled by 6G technology to achieve this target.

Zhang said 6G is not merely a communication platform but an intelligent machine network. Such a network has the potential to revolutionize the transportation sector. This evolution will be marked by enriched collaborations among various smart machine systems, as well as fostering synergy across divergent systems. 

Zhang Ping, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and professor at Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, delivered a speech at a Smart China Expo (SCE) 2023 forum on September 4. (Photo/Chen Zhan)

Training machines to replicate human-like communication

Zhang painted a vivid picture of the future of communication technology,  a world dominated by computing, communication, and control. Central to this vision is the holistic integration of intelligence, pushing the boundaries to realize universal intelligence and ushering in the era of digital twins and comprehensive digitalization.

However, Zhang said the path to this technologically advanced future isn’t linear. A significant hurdle is the domain of machine-to-machine communication. 

“Machine interactions are considerably more complex than our human exchanges,” he stated. The current challenge is training machines to replicate human-like communication intricacies.

In a much smarter and intricately connected world, Zhang said the next significant evolution of smart manufacturing will integrate communication, perception, and control to design the industrial internet. 

This digital infrastructure is not merely a collection of interconnected devices. Instead, it represents a harmonious blend of the digital, physical, and spatial dimensions, achieving a symbiosis of synaesthesia, computing, and control.