In this paper, Jari Hamalainen and Pekka Yli-Paunu highlight an exciting technology that is changing the face of automated terminals.
Development of autonomous cars has progressed rapidly in recent years, while at selected container terminals, automation has increasingly gained ground.
This paper outlines the key differences and similarities between the two fields and examines the influence that development of autonomous road vehicles is expected to have on the future of container terminal automation.
Autonomous cars and automated terminals share several common aims. Both areas are considered applicable in levels of increasing functionality or sophistication, but they also differ markedly in several respects.
The underlying operating differences of autonomous control of road vehicles versus a centralised control of terminal operations will remain for the foreseeable future.
