RF and cellular links remain essential, but growing system density concentrates operational and cybersecurity risk.
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airport resilience showcase
airport resilience showcase
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mining showcase
mining showcase
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connected mobility showcase
connected mobility showcase
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port and infrastructure showcase
port and infrastructure showcase
J5 SlimLink
A local optical layer for connected mobility and infrastructure.
J5 is developing compact optical links that add a redundant local path for real-time video and data between vehicles, drones, autonomous systems and smart infrastructure.
SlimLink complements RF, cellular and private networks, helping connected systems maintain localized communication during congestion, outages or cyber compromise.
Connected mobility
Smart infrastructure
Field-tested prototype
Why it matters
Why add a local optical layer?
As connected systems scale, more vehicles, drones and infrastructure depend on the same RF wireless environment. A local optical channel adds a direct communication path for resilient, localized exchange when congestion, outages or cyber incidents affect wider networks.
Optical links add a direct line-of-sight layer limited to the systems involved in each link.
The goal is compact, practical hardware suited to broad deployment across vehicles, sites and autonomous infrastructure.
SlimLink units
SlimLink UnitsCompact transmitter / receiver building block
Product direction
SlimLink: compact optical connectivity for mobile and distributed systems.
SlimLink is J5’s compact optical communication system for direct line-of-sight links between selected vehicles, drones, infrastructure nodes and autonomous platforms. It complements RF, cellular and private-network systems with a local optical path for real-time video and data exchange.
The focus is practical scalability: compact units that can evolve toward mass deployment across road mobility, industrial operations, smart infrastructure, logistics networks and site-protection use cases.
Prototype maturity
Field-tested hardware.
The current prototype demonstrates the core system building block: a compact transmitter and receiver connected through an optical link and tested outdoors across different distances, geometries and conditions.
The tests validate practical deployment, real-time video, movement tolerance, configurable optics and longer-distance line-of-sight operation. It is not the final product form factor, but it is a working basis for partner evaluation and pilot discussions.
current prototype system
Current PrototypeField-tested transmitter and receiver hardware
concept of operation
Concept of OperationTransmitter / receiver / optical link
Portable transmitter and receiver prototype.
Outdoor field tests completed.
Real-time video and data across multiple geometries and distances.
Compact, scalable units for vehicles, infrastructure and autonomous platforms.
Demonstrated capabilities
Each demonstration highlights a practical product capability: setup, movement tolerance, configurable optics, real-time video and outdoor link behaviour.
Deploy, align and establish the link with a simple field sequence.
Communication remains active during normal movement and changing geometry.
The same hardware can be adapted for different distances, coverage needs and integration constraints.
short clip: fast connection
prototype video
Functionality 01Plug / Point / Link
Functionality 01
Plug. Point. Link.
The transmitter and receiver are placed into their bases, magnetically locked, and connected without a complex setup sequence. The demonstration shows the plug-and-play principle behind the system: simple installation followed by immediate real-time communication.
short clip: moving transmitter
prototype video
Functionality 02Connectivity while moving
Functionality 02
Stable connectivity while moving
The receiver remains static while the transmitter is moved through the test area. The received video remains visible despite normal movement and changing geometry. This tolerance is relevant for vehicles, mobile robots, inspection platforms, and other systems where perfectly static alignment is not practical.
short clip: configurable optics
prototype video
Functionality 03Configurable range / coverage
Functionality 03
Configurable range and coverage
Different applications require different combinations of distance and movement tolerance. Interchangeable optics allow the same compact hardware architecture to be adapted to different link requirements without redesigning the complete communication unit.
short clip: real-time visual communication
prototype video
Functionality 04Low-latency visual link
Functionality 04
Real-time visual & data communication
The received monitor shows movement from the transmitter side without perceptible delay in the demonstrated configuration. Low-latency visual communication can support remote inspection, teleoperation, infrastructure monitoring, and other applications where immediate visual feedback matters.
Functionality 05
Receiver freedom without precision pointing.
These demonstrations show that reception can be maintained while the receiver changes position and orientation. This behaviour supports the evolution from fixed point-to-point links toward more flexible connectivity between moving platforms and potentially multiple nearby receivers.
receiver movement demonstration
prototype video
Functionality 05AReceiver movement
vertical displacement demonstration
prototype video
Functionality 05BVertical displacement
lateral displacement demonstration
prototype video
Functionality 05CLateral displacement
Functionality 06
Outdoor validation across distance, movement and conditions.
Outdoor tests validated the current prototype at 500 m with real-time video and with receiver movement/orientation changes. A longer 2 km line-of-sight test also maintained real-time video, with small flicker caused by the available link margin of the current prototype.
These distances are validation points, not fixed limits. The tests show practical setup, alignment, video transmission and link continuity across distance and movement.
During the same test, the receiver was moved and its orientation deliberately changed while reception remained active. This demonstrates useful tolerance to platform movement.
At 2 kilometers, the prototype continued to receive real-time video across the optical link. Some intermittent flicker is visible at this distance, reflecting the available link margin of the current prototype while communication remains established.
500 m / real-time video
prototype video
Functionality 06A500 m / real-time video
500 m / receiver movement
prototype video
Functionality 06B500 m / receiver movement
2 km / real-time video
prototype video
Functionality 06C2 km / real-time video
Field evidence
Dust-facing link stability.
Recent field testing evaluated the optical link with dust crossing the path between transmitter and receiver. The video remained stable and the link stayed established, supporting evaluation in realistic outdoor and industrial environments where visibility can change locally.
dust field test / video 01
prototype video
Field test 04Dust-facing link / stable video
dust field test / video 02
prototype video
Field test 05Dust-facing link / link continuity
Field evidence
Smoke-facing link recovery.
Additional field testing evaluated the optical link under smoke obstruction. When smoke crossed the path between transmitter and receiver, the video remained stable during partial obstruction, cut only when the smoke became very dense, and recovered quickly as visibility returned. A second test with smoke directly around the transmitter also showed stable video behaviour.
smoke field test / video 01
prototype video
Field test 06Smoke across path / quick recovery
smoke field test / video 02
prototype video
Field test 07Smoke near transmitter / stable video
Coming soon tests
Fog validation.
Planned tests will evaluate video stability, link margin and useful operating range under fog conditions. These results will be added after validation.
Application concepts
From a field-tested prototype to connected infrastructure.
The same optical architecture can be adapted to different civilian environments. Across airport protection, mining, mobility, logistics and distributed infrastructure, the goal is the same: add a direct local communication path between systems that need to exchange information reliably.
Airport security teams, perimeter sensors, mobile units, and selected response assets can maintain local communication through an optical layer during drone-threat operations.
Autonomous haul trucks, shovels, service areas, and fixed mine infrastructure can exchange local telemetry, status, and coordination data through an optical V2V/V2I layer.
Vehicles and roadside infrastructure exchange trusted local information through an additional optical channel that complements existing RF-based V2X.
Autonomous vehicles, drones, sensors, and fixed infrastructure can share local information across complex industrial environments.
Distributed sensors, fixed sites, inspection vehicles, and drones can use direct optical links where line of sight is available.
Drones, delivery vehicles, depots, and smart infrastructure can exchange local information within mixed air-and-ground logistics networks.
IMAGE PLACEHOLDER
assets/civil/application-civil-airport.png
assets/civil/application-civil-airport.png
Application 01Airport protection / drone-threat response / optical continuity
Application 01
Maintaining local coordination during airport drone-threat operations.
Airport drone incidents can force operators to treat the RF environment with caution while security teams search for and neutralize the threat. Airports may need resilient local links between perimeter sensors, response teams, vehicles and selected control equipment.
SlimLink can add an optical communication layer that operates independently from RF and cellular channels where line of sight is available, supporting telemetry, status, video and coordination data between airport infrastructure and mobile response assets.
This helps preserve local coordination during temporary RF restrictions or network disruption while keeping essential exchanges confined to the systems involved in each link.
IMAGE PLACEHOLDER
assets/civil/application-civil-mining.png
assets/civil/application-civil-mining.png
Application 02Mining / autonomous haulage / optical V2V-V2I
Application 02
A resilient local link for autonomous mining operations.
Autonomous haulage systems depend on continuous communication between vehicles, loading equipment and mine infrastructure. In deep pits and changing terrain, RF and cellular coverage can be less reliable.
SlimLink can add a localized optical V2V/V2I channel alongside private LTE/5G networks, supporting telemetry, vehicle status, coordination and control data between haul trucks, shovels, service areas and fixed infrastructure.
This creates a complementary communication layer that helps keep critical local exchanges operational when the wider network is degraded or unavailable.
IMAGE PLACEHOLDER
assets/civil/application-civil-v2x.png
assets/civil/application-civil-v2x.png
Application 03Connected mobility / V2X / smart infrastructure
Application 03
Optical connectivity between vehicles and smart infrastructure.
SlimLink complements RF-based V2X with a local optical channel between vehicles and roadside infrastructure. Vehicles and smart intersections can exchange trusted local information directly.
It is designed as an additional connectivity layer, not a replacement for conventional V2X, cellular or Wi-Fi systems.
Its localized line-of-sight nature also provides a compartmentalized fallback path if shared wireless connectivity is disrupted or compromised.
IMAGE PLACEHOLDER
assets/civil/application-civil-port.png
assets/civil/application-civil-port.png
Application 04Ports / industrial sites / autonomous operations
Application 04
Local connectivity for automated ports and industrial operations.
Ports and industrial facilities increasingly combine autonomous vehicles, inspection systems, fixed infrastructure, sensors and drones in the same environment.
Optical communication can add a direct local link between moving equipment and infrastructure, complementing existing Wi-Fi, private cellular and other wireless networks.
Localized optical links keep selected exchanges independent from the wider site network, adding resilience if shared connectivity is unavailable or affected by a cyber incident.
IMAGE PLACEHOLDER
assets/civil/application-civil-border.png
assets/civil/application-civil-border.png
Application 05Distributed infrastructure / perimeter monitoring
Application 05
Resilient connectivity across distributed infrastructure.
Large perimeters combine fixed sensors, cameras, checkpoints, vehicles and mobile inspection platforms across areas where infrastructure coverage can vary.
Compact optical links provide direct connections between selected assets where line of sight is available, complementing existing wireless and wired networks.
Direct localized links can also isolate critical sensor and surveillance traffic from broader network disruptions, reducing exposure to a single connectivity failure or compromise.
IMAGE PLACEHOLDER
assets/civil/application-civil-drone-logistics.png
assets/civil/application-civil-drone-logistics.png
Application 06Drone logistics / goods distribution / smart depots
Application 06
Connecting drones, vehicles, and logistics hubs.
As goods move through mixed ground-and-air networks, operators will need simple local links between drones, delivery vehicles, depots and smart infrastructure.
SlimLink can extend the same optical connectivity layer from road mobility into low-altitude logistics, allowing air and ground systems to exchange local information within one architecture.
A local optical channel between drones, vehicles and logistics infrastructure provides redundancy during outages or cyber incidents while keeping critical exchanges confined to the systems involved.
Partner evaluation
Interested in evaluating the technology for your platform or infrastructure?
The current prototype provides a field-tested basis for technical discussion and further integration work. We are interested in exchanging information with mobility, infrastructure, logistics, and autonomous-system partners exploring complementary optical connectivity.
contact@j5teknology.com