[Courtesy of LG Uplus]
SEOUL -- LG Uplus, a mobile carrier in South Korea, will apply automated logistics equipment based on 5G and mobile edge computing technologies, along with a precise location information solution, as part of efforts to turn the in the southern port city of Busan into a smart port through digital transformation.
LG Uplus (LGU+) will cooperate with Russell Robotics, an automated guided vehicle system supplier, to introduce unmanned self-driving forklifts and transport cars that will work in a logistics warehouse at night and idle times without workers. Equipment will be linked to a mobile edge computing (MEC) center in Busan by utilizing a 28 gigahertz (GHz) network. MEC enables cloud computing capabilities and an IT service environment at the edge of cellular networks.
The unmanned forklift is stand-alone equipment that identifies its location by itself through lasers without fixed milestones or leaders. It can operate safely at any warehouse because it is aware of the surrounding situation.
LGU+ will provide a real-time kinematic (RTK) solution that will be used as basic information for digital twins at the pier of Busan's international terminal by the end of 2021. The RTK positioning satellite navigation technology enhances the precision of position data. A digital twin is a digitalized duplicate of a structure or an infrastructure. Various situations can be tested to find a solution without damaging the real-life original version.
The solution uses 5G communication to deliver location information that accurately corrects real-time GPS information to a control room. It accurately identifies the location of equipment to increase the efficiency of work and provide basic data for digital twin. "We will continue to find various services in 5G smart port markets," said LGU+'s smart infrastructure business head Seo Jae-yong.
Busan is undergoing a structural change to become a smart port using autonomous equipment. Smart ports use artificial intelligence, big data, Internet of Things (IoT) and blockchain to increase efficiency and security. Smart port processing is automated using connected devices such as remote control cranes and unmanned cargo loaders.
LGU+ is setting up a 5G-connected smart port system by adding remote control features for container cranes to allow operators to monitor and examine open-air storage yards from different angles using cameras and stack containers efficiently with minimized idle spaces. A container handling gantry crane is a gargantuan structure that hulks over docks. Equipment can be operated from an office using real-time feeds from cameras.