Robot Longshoremen Could Reduce Space Needed for Ports by Half

Future shipping ports won’t need acres and acres of land to transfer and hold containers unloaded from ships. Instead, robotic carts and elevators will efficiently shuttle containers around multistory structures and deliver them to tractor-trailers that pull in below.

That’s the idea behind the Robotic Container Management & Storage System being proposed by Israel Aerospace Industries. The whole thing would be managed by an autonomous control system overseen by human operators.

IAI says the system can load and unload containers 1.5 times faster than currently possible while reducing space needed for operations by half.

(China’s Qingdao Container Terminal via Shutterstock.)

“This revolutionary system will change the perception of transportation and storage methods used around the world,” said IAI’s Ran Braier. “The RCMS is a sustainable and environmentally responsible system which is energy efficient and reduces greenhouse emissions. We look forward to additional cooperation projects and new opportunities for use of robotics in ports.”



Gifs created from Youtube video courtesy of Israel Aerospace Industries.