BACKGROUND

Current validation of automation solutions for stevedoring operations (eg. coning/deconing, lashing/unlashing) requires extensive physical testing, which is costly, time-consuming and risky. A more efficient validation approach could accelerate development and adoption of new automation and robotics solutions for stevedoring. It would provide a standard platform to compare or validate different robotics concepts/solutions in a virtual setting before moving into physical testing.

SIGNIFICANCE OF PROBLEM

Real-world physical testing (even with prototypes) as a first stage is costly, and harder to iterate and optimise once prototypes are completed. Current approaches to implement automation solutions rely heavily on physical testing and prototyping, which may not yield an optimised design, and there are currently limited alternatives for early-stage validation.

POTENTIAL MARKET SIZE

Global container port industry implementing automation, given that automation efforts for stevedoring is still a big challenge.

EXISTING EFFORTS

While digital twins replicating port environments are available in the market, majority of them focus on optimisation of vessel side, quay side and yard operations.

There are some existing augmented reality solutions to overlay virtual elements on a real environment and test robotic systems, or physics based, sensor simulations, etc to mimic real world effects for other industrial uses. However, such solutions specifically for optimisation of stevedoring work (e.g. coning and deconing), which is still a highly manual workflow, are not yet readily available.

Digital Twin developed using tools/platforms like Nvidia Omniverse, Unity, Gazebo also exist but not for stevedoring operations.

Gaps in existing efforts:

• Simulation platforms currently cannot replicate the application environment for stevedoring, that can support validation of solutions such as (e.g. mobile robots, humanoids, novel end effectors for container fittings etc)
• Low Sim-to-Real gap
• Clear performance metrics and validation framework to assess system feasibility and effectiveness prior to actual hardware development.