Press Releases
July 25, 2024
DOCOMO and NTT Com Jointly Demonstrate Practicality
of DOCOMO's New Multi-platform Cloud-rendering Technology
— Enables mobile devices to access high-definition 3D video in normal environments —
TOKYO, JAPAN, July 25, 2024 --- NTT DOCOMO, INC. and NTT Communications Corporation jointly announced today that they have conducted a test to successfully demonstrate the new multi-platform cloud-rendering technology developed by DOCOMO, which enables tablets and smartphones to easily access real-time three-dimensional (3D) video in outdoor and other environments. The test deployed the new technology in edge-computing environments sold by NTT Com, such as 
docomo MEC®*1 and on-premises edge servers.*2 The results will be presented at Augmented World Expo Asia (AWE Asia) in Singapore on August 27.
DOCOMO's new technology, which can be added as middleware to 3D-image processing applications, enables access to high-definition 3D video using standard tablets and smartphones. Environments for using good-quality 3D video can be achieved by deploying the technology in edge-computing environments. Until now, 3D image-processing applications have required the use of high-performance computers, making practical implementation difficult. But DOCOMO's newly demonstrated technology, which allows high-precision information to be visualized in the cloud before the results are transmitted to mobile devices, will make the use of 3D images in industrial settings a practical reality.
The demonstration applied the technology to cloud computing and edge computing environments. Later, evaluations were conducted to determine 3D video quality and responsiveness to operations performed with tablets and smartphones on mobile 5G and Wi-Fi/LAN systems similar to those used in typical user facilities. The results (see appendix) confirmed the achievement of excellent video quality and fast response times in the edge computing environment, demonstrating the possibility of smooth, seamless 3D video playback on mobile devices.
Conventionally, the use of high-precision 3D video in industrial settings requires large amounts of high-precision point clouds*3 to create digital twins of real-world spaces, resulting in heavy processing loads that have inhibited widespread use. In addition, cloud rendering technologies that distribute the processing of high-load, high-precision 3D video in cloud-computing environments were originally developed for online gaming, making them difficult to adapt to industrial settings. The new technology, which was developed to address these challenges, is expected to help realize digital twins for purposes such as designing factory floors and using 3D video in point-cloud surveys for civil engineering and construction sites. Also, in the industrial metaverse, the technology will enable pseudo-immersive experiences for training, manufacturing-process simulations and quality control. In addition, combining this technology with edge computing and docomo MEC is expected to lead to highly secure, low-latency business applications that offer both portability and maintained quality.
DOCOMO and NTT Com aim to launch commercial services based on this new technology from the fiscal year starting in April 2025. Combined with edge-computing environments that ensure high transmission quality, low latency and high security, a variety of multi-platform cloud-rendering services are expected to become available on a reliable and secure basis, anytime and anywhere. DOCOMO and NTT Com also hope to accelerate the digital transformation of the entire industrial sector by building an ecosystem that integrates various applications, including digital twins and the metaverse.
- DOCOMO's multi-access edge-computing architecture enhances the real-time capability and security of mobile communications by placing servers as close as possible to the devices being used, thus reducing the communication distance compared to general-public clouds, and by conducting communications within the DOCOMO network.
- Enable data processing and storage on the premises of organizations, etc. by sending locally pre-processed data to the cloud for low latency, data sovereignty and enhanced security.
- Data representing a three-dimensional space using a collection of observation points in a Cartesian coordinate system.
docomo MEC is a trademark of NTT DOCOMO, INC.
docomo MEC is provided by NTT DOCOMO, INC. and related services are consigned to and sold by NTT Communications Corporation as the agent.
Appendix
Demonstration Experiment Overview
Objective
To evaluate 3D video operation and responsiveness using tablets and smartphones in cloud-computing and edge-computing environments configured with the new technology, and to verify high-precision 3D video delivery with stable quality.
Details
The test involved two main usage scenarios:
- Performance comparison when wirelessly connected to a cloud-rendering environment built with docomo MEC and cloud computing via mobile 5G to simulate use in a remote location. Comparisons were also made between SA base stations (5G dedicated) and NSA base stations (shared with 5G and 4G).
- Performance comparison when connected via line or Wi-Fi to a cloud-rendering environment built with on-premises edge servers and cloud computing to simulate use at a service provider's facilities.
The goal was to ensure that the response time for operations performed with devices was below the human-detectable threshold of 0.1 second and that video quality, even if temporarily degraded, would recover to normal within 1.0 second.
Results
The bit rate was confirmed to remain mostly stable in the edge-computing environment, but frequently dropped locally in the cloud-computing environment.
When the bit rate dropped sharply in the cloud-computing environment, some degradation in video quality was observed (see the following examples of quality differences in video delivered to client). Under low-bitrate conditions, the video delay was minimal but video quality was affected by block noise, resulting in blurred images.
The demonstration confirmed that the response time for operations performed with devices was less than 0.1 second, and video quality, even if temporarily degraded, recovered to normal within 1.0 second. These results proved that DOCOMO's new multi-platform cloud-rendering technology can provide high-precision 3D video with stable quality.
Roles
| DOCOMO |
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|---|---|
| NTT Com |
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