A video published recently by LAtitudePOLA via YouTube shows the nature of automated operations which take place at the TraPac Terminal at the Port of Los Angeles.
Being the first of its kind to do so, auto straddle carriers are controlled via magnets which have been embedded underneath the terminal floor, as well as using lasers and differential GPS to improve the location accuracy of the straddle carriers.
Technical Paper: Port of Los Angeles: How to be Green
With the increase in the number of mega-ships which are due to come to the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, automation is being seen as the rational response.
This form of automated operations at Trapac Terminal is reportedly the first of its kind globally.
