Miners in Luanchuan County, Henan province, China, are using remote controlled 5G-enabled vehicles and machinery to carry out heavy duty industrial work from home.

The company, China Molybdenum, has applied 5G technology in the Sandaozhuang mine in central China since 2019, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

A series of photos put up showed the technological marvel currently in place in an industry few thought would be possible:

The technological feat is allowing blue collar workers to work in silos as the world continues to be ravaged by the Covid-19 pandemic.

CCTV said 5G technology enables workers to remotely control equipment at the mine with precision, owing to the high speed and low latency connectivity.

This translates to workers being able to see what they are doing in real-time as they carry out rough but delicate work on site.

The result is that vehicles onsite appear as phantom machinery capable of running themselves.

What this means

The use of such images is to show China's progress with technology and perhaps even a nod to Huawei.

However, it does not reveal any shortcomings and the early stages of the technology's deployment.

The extent of its implementation is also uncertain, such as how many workers are able to carry out their duties off-site.

All photos via CCTV