JESSE 2026 Robot Car

Published: Mar 29, 2026
Authors: Saurabh Parkar , Xiaochan (Luna) Xue

O-RAN/AI-RAN Series

This post is part of a series all about O-RAN/AI-RAN.

Fundamental

• O-RAN/AI-RAN Testbed

Advanced

• NextG UAV Detection Using an O-RAN-Controlled Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (RIS)

Overview

The JESSE 2026 Robot Car project explores a wireless teleoperation system that combines a gaming steering wheel with AI-RAN-assisted communication control for remote robot driving. The goal is to create a responsive and reliable human-in-the-loop driving experience in which an operator can control a robot car intuitively, while the network dynamically adapts to maintain low latency and stable control delivery.

This project connects robotics, wireless networking, and interactive control systems. On the user side, a game wheel provides intuitive steering and pedal-based acceleration and braking. On the network side, AI-RAN is used to monitor communication quality and support intelligent adaptation so that teleoperation remains smooth even under changing wireless conditions.

Motivation

Remote robot driving requires more than simple connectivity. To safely operate a robot car in real time, the system must support:

• low-latency transmission of control commands,
• reliable uplink and downlink communication,
• stable delivery of onboard sensing and telemetry,
• and fast adaptation when channel conditions degrade.

Traditional wireless links often treat robotics traffic like ordinary data, but teleoperation is highly sensitive to delay, jitter, and packet loss. Even a brief disruption can affect steering responsiveness and overall driving stability. This project investigates how AI-RAN can help prioritize and stabilize these control loops in a realistic robot driving scenario.

System Concept

The project consists of three tightly coupled components:

1. Human Control Interface

The human operator uses a gaming steering wheel and pedal set as the primary driving interface, enabling intuitive control of steering, throttle, and braking.

This design provides a more natural interaction than keyboard-based or basic joystick control and better reflects how remote driving may be supported in future intelligent robotic systems.

2. Robot Car Platform

The robot car acts as a mobile edge device equipped with onboard sensing, wireless connectivity, and actuation. It receives driving commands from the remote operator and transmits real-time telemetry back to the control station.

The platform enables evaluation of:

• end-to-end control latency,
• command reliability,
• telemetry stability under mobility,
• and the impact of network variation on driving performance.

3. AI-RAN-Assisted Communication Support

A key research component is the use of AI-RAN to help maintain communication quality during teleoperation. The network monitors performance indicators such as latency, throughput, packet loss, and link quality, then uses intelligent adaptation strategies to improve service continuity for the robot car.

Possible AI-RAN functions include:

• traffic prioritization for control packets,
• adaptive scheduling for telemetry streams,
• quality-aware resource allocation,
• and anomaly detection when communication becomes unstable.

Rather than treating the network as a passive transport channel, this project studies how the RAN can become an active participant in supporting robotic control.

Technical Objectives

The JESSE 2026 Robot Car project aims to answer the following questions:

1. Can a gaming steering wheel provide an intuitive and effective interface for remote robot driving?
2. How sensitive is teleoperation quality to wireless latency, jitter, and packet loss?
3. Can AI-RAN improve the reliability and responsiveness of robot control under dynamic wireless conditions?
4. What system architecture is needed to jointly support interactive control and communication-aware robotic operation?

Expected Outcomes

This project is expected to deliver:

• a working prototype for remote robot car teleoperation,
• integration of a gaming wheel control interface with a mobile robotic platform,
• an AI-RAN-aware communication pipeline for maintaining link quality,
• and experimental insights into the relationship between wireless performance and remote driving experience.

More broadly, the project serves as a step toward next-generation networked robotic systems, in which communication and control are jointly designed rather than treated as separate components.

Broader Impact

This effort contributes to emerging applications in:

• remote robotics,
• intelligent transportation,
• human-in-the-loop autonomy,
• and wireless systems for cyber-physical control.

By combining intuitive driving control with communication-aware network intelligence, JESSE 2026 Robot Car provides a practical example of how AI-native RAN systems can support future robotic mobility platforms.

Project Status

The current phase focuses on system integration and proof-of-concept development, including:

• connecting the gaming wheel control pipeline,
• interfacing the control software with the robot car platform,
• and exploring how AI-RAN can be incorporated to improve communication robustness during operation.

Future phases may include onboard video streaming, autonomous assistance, and more advanced RAN-side adaptation for safety-critical robotic tasks.

Testbed Devices