Rizhao is part of the Shandong Port Group (SPG). In October 2021, SPG opened a fully automated terminal at Rizhao featuring dual-cantilever ASCs that run parallel to the quay and autonomous and remotely controlled trucks for the horizontal transport.

The autonomous trucks were supplied by China’s FAW and feature autonomous vehicle systems and fleet operation and management software from HiRain Technologies, an automotive electronics specialist headquartered in Beijing.

Since October 2021, a number of autonomous trucks have been operating alongside manned trucks performing quay-to-stack transfers at the terminal. Earlier this year, HiRain reported that the unmanned fleet had moved 50,000 containers “and the production efficiency has been continuously improved month by month”.

This month, another supplier, Israel-based Arbe Robotics, announced that it has been selected by HiRain Technologies to supply chipsets for perception radars that HiRain Technology has implemented on FAW trucks and AGVs at the Port of Rizhao. The AGV pictured was manufactured by the Tri-Ring Group of Hubei Province.

According to Arbe Robotics, perception radar with its chipset technology removes previous limitations with low-resolution radar systems in the areas of identifying stationary objects and a high rate of false alarms.

“Perception radar is revolutionising the capabilities of autonomous vehicles due to its ability to detect and classify objects in ultra-high resolution and in any weather or lighting condition,” Arbe said in a statement. “HiRain’s perception radar solution based on the Arbe chipset has the highest channel count in the industry, with 48 transmitting channels and 48 receiving channels, and provides free space mapping of the full surroundings of the vehicle.

“The radar solution was chosen for its effectiveness in highly dense port environments to increase staff safety, reduce operational risks, and enhance efficiency. The parties plan to expand the deployment to highways by supporting port-to-port autonomous driving.”

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This complete item is approximately 330 words in length, and appeared in the September 2022 issue of WorldCargo News, on page 1. To access this issue download the PDF here