[Report] "Container Unloading Also Remotely Controlled" LG Uplus Launches 5G Unmanned Crane

LG Uplus 5G Applied at Busanhang Singamman Pier Report
25m High 5G Remote-Controlled Crane Operated from Control Room 1km Away
One Person Controls Up to 4 Cranes... Increased Operational Efficiency and Reduced Accident Risk
Full-Scale Launch of 5G B2B New Business through Smart Port Construction

A 5G remote-controlled crane installed at Busan New Gamman Port is lifting a container.

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunmo Koo] “The crane is moving automatically in this direction without anyone in the driver's seat.”

On the morning of the 29th of last month at Dongwon Busan Container Terminal in Shingamman Pier, Busan Port, a 25-meter-high transfer crane, which had been standing far back in a prepared area, slowly approached forward for about 30 seconds and then stopped at the designated spot. The star of the day, Crane No. 207, is the ‘5G Remote-Controlled Crane’ that LG Uplus is preparing to commercialize by mid-year. This crane, equipped with 5G and low-latency video transmission solutions, can be remotely operated without the driver physically boarding the crane. LG Uplus introduced a 5G network at Shingamman Pier to build a smart port and initially applied it experimentally to two cranes.

The sky-blue Crane No. 207, with paint chipped here and there from the sea breeze, looked no different from the surrounding cranes at first glance. However, when tilting the head back to closely examine the white control box, it was confirmed that there was no one in the driver's seat behind the glass window. The unmanned crane soon began operation as the spreader next to the control box started moving. The transfer crane is responsible for loading and unloading containers stacked in the yard onto trucks. Its legs on both sides are directly connected to the upper part. The claw-shaped spreader installed on the upper bar moves up and down via wires and moves left and right along the bar’s rails to pick up and set down containers.

A 5G remote-controlled crane installed at Busan New Gamman Port is loading containers onto a yard tractor.

When crane operations are remotely controlled based on 5G, the working environment for port workers is expected to improve. Until now, workers had to operate for long hours while looking down from a height of 25 meters, which caused musculoskeletal disorders such as cervical disc problems and muscle pain. However, if operations are conducted from a control room away from the site, such risks are expected to decrease. Additionally, one crane operator can control 3 to 4 cranes, and containers can be pre-positioned in locations convenient for movement when no workers are present, improving operational efficiency.

Containers can also be stacked higher than before, increasing utilization per unit area. Previously, due to limited visibility from the driver's seat, containers could only be stacked up to three tiers, but with remote control using dedicated cameras and sensors, stacking of four tiers or more is possible. Containers stacked up to five tiers were visible around the crane. For ports that need to use limited space effectively, increasing stacking tiers is expected to improve operational efficiency.

Real-time Crane Operation from Control Room 1km Away Using 5G and Low-Latency Video Transmission Solutions

After the demonstration at the port yard, the location was moved to the remote control crane control center about 1 km away. Currently, remote control is possible up to a maximum distance of 10 km, but the goal is to enable remote control from hundreds of kilometers away as technology advances. The control room, equipped with monitors, keyboards, and stick-type controllers, allowed a more precise understanding of the scenes seen on-site.

A scene of operating a 5G remote-controlled crane in the crane remote control room set up at Busan Singamman Port.

In the control room, the screens transmitted from 15 cameras installed on the crane could be monitored. Of these, eight cameras were used for remote control. Observing the operation process gave an impression similar to parking using an around-view system. The spreader cameras mounted at each corner of the spreader and the truck cone view camera, which checks whether the 'cone'?a device that connects and secures containers placed on trucks?is properly engaged, provided an environment identical to working on-site.

It was also noticeable that the area requiring direct control was smaller than expected. LG Uplus explained that through automation, the crane operator directly controls only about 20-30% of the entire operation. In fact, during the roughly three minutes it takes to move one container, the operator’s direct control time was about 30 seconds to one minute, mainly when picking up or setting down the container.

Another notable feature is the application of low-latency video transmission solutions that minimize the time lag between the on-site screen and the control room’s operation screen. The video transmission delay time using the 5G-based low-latency solution is approximately 104 milliseconds (ms), significantly reduced compared to about 660 ms with LTE and conventional video transmission methods. Comparing and observing the video on the control room monitor confirmed that the crane’s movements responded immediately.

LG Uplus Takes First Step Toward Smart Port with ‘5G Remote-Controlled Crane’

Starting with the introduction of the 5G remote-controlled crane, LG Uplus plans to introduce a 5G network in collaboration with Busan Port Authority (BPA) to build a smart port and apply it to various fields such as cargo handling equipment and logistics warehouses. A smart port is a next-generation port that enhances productivity and improves safety in the working environment by automating and smartening various facilities and infrastructure necessary for port operations based on a 5G network characterized by ultra-low latency, ultra-high speed, and ultra-connectivity.

LG Uplus plans to continuously develop and apply smart port solutions on-site, including autonomous yard tractors, artificial intelligence (AI) video analysis, digital twins through Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, and autonomous drones, leveraging 5G infrastructure starting with the commercialization of the 5G remote-controlled crane by mid-year. Currently, services are provided at Shingamman Port based on the 3.5 GHz frequency band, and LG Uplus announced plans to test the advantages of the 28 GHz band within the year at Gwangyang Port and Sinsundae Port.

Furthermore, LG Uplus plans to actively foster four promising 5G B2B new business sectors, led by ‘Smart SOC’ such as smart and automated ports, as well as smart factories, smart mobility, and smart cities/industrial complexes.

Jae-yong Seo, Executive Director of Smart Infrastructure Business at LG Uplus, said, “We will do our best with our partners to successfully establish LG Uplus’s 5G technology in domestic ports including Busan,” adding, “We will focus on cultivating LG Uplus’s competitiveness in the 5G business-to-business (B2B) market, which is expected to approach 25 trillion won by 2026, and establish it as a new growth engine.”

This smart port project is significant as it is the first time in Korea that a 5G network is built and applied to port operations. Currently, domestic ports operate 24/7 by managing loading and unloading schedules through Terminal Operating Systems (TOS) to handle massive cargo volumes. However, there is a need for improvement in various aspects, such as low processing efficiency due to manual operation of cranes that move containers.

Considering the need to enhance competitiveness in domestic ports, the government is also promoting port automation and digitalization projects by 2030. As a result, the domestic smart and automated port market is expected to grow from 100 billion won in 2017 to 400 billion won by 2024. The global market environment is also positive. According to global market research firm MarketsandMarkets, the global smart and automated port market is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 25%, reaching 5.272 billion USD by 2024.

This smart port project is expected to give a strong boost to the B2B business promotion under CEO Hyun-sik Hwang, who has emphasized new business discovery since taking office. After being officially appointed at the regular shareholders’ meeting in March, CEO Hwang expressed his intention to focus on ‘discovering and expanding new businesses’ and stated his commitment to creating new businesses in the B2B field of 5G. He is personally overseeing the newly established New Business Promotion Division created through this year’s organizational restructuring. The establishment of this division strongly reflects CEO Hwang’s determination that new growth engines are necessary.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.