Gantry cranes are essential harbor loading equipment that transport containers within the yard or move them onto trailer trucks or yard tractors. (image: Busan Port Authority)
BUSAN, Aug. 29 (Korea Bizwire) — The Port of Busan will introduce the world’s first remote control system for loading equipment using 5G networks.
The Busan Port Authority announced on Thursday that it plans to develop a system that remotely controls the rubber tired gantry cranes located in the North Port using artificial intelligence and 5G technology.
Seoho Electric Co. and LG Uplus Corp. will join the development project spearheaded by the Busan Port Authority.
Seoho Electric, a South Korean Automation System Manufacturer for harbor cranes, will be in charge of developing the remote-control system using LG Uplus’s 5G network for the cranes in the North Port that have already been equipped with the company’s control technology.
The two companies will develop a technology that remotely controls the rubber tired gantry cranes at the North Port to move containers onto trailer trucks, and apply the technology for commercial use by the end of this year.
Gantry cranes are essential harbor loading equipment that transport containers within the yard or move them onto trailer trucks or yard tractors.
The two companies will install 5G wireless transmitters, high-resolution cameras, 3D sensors, and an electronic stability program to create a system that remotely moves containers onto vehicles with precision based on live video footage screened at a nearby control room.
The Busan Port Authority also plans to develop the technology required for cranes to automatically pick up containers at a designated location to place them on vehicles, including stability programs that will keep the cranes stable on irregularly shaped roads, monitor the difference in the air pressure of each tire, prevent collisions with outside obstacles, and other various factors.
Once the project is complete, the rubber-tire gantry cranes will reach the level of automation equivalent to rail mounted gantry cranes at the New Port that are remotely controlled by optical cables.
Using 5G networks will save the cost of laying optical cables and prevent disturbance to the port’s operations.
Experts expect that the new technology will raise the level of automation for the cranes as operating companies in the North Port gradually implement the technology.
Roughly 80 percent of all cranes used around the world are rubber tired gantry cranes, and demand for automation has been on the rise.
Successful commercialization of the world’s first 5G remote control system for the cranes will allow South Korea to become one of the first countries to jump into the market, said the authority.
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
