Development of a Virtual Reality Simulation for Remote Controlled Container Crane Operator Training

Abstract

Any large scale cargo port requires the use of container cranes for loading of intermodal containers as well as unloading them. The operator of such a large crane must be appropriately trained to prevent any accidents at the cargo port. This should be achieved by training crane operators on all the protocols of crane operation with significant hours of practice. The aim of this project is to develop a virtual reality (VR) simulation for operator training of container cranes which are remotely controlled, situated at the cargo ports. The simulation consists of a virtual control room equipped with joysticks and display screens, container crane, container ships, trucks and a cargo port environment. We used an actual super post-Panamax quay crane as a reference model for this simulation. The project has been built using Unity3d for the programming and 3DSMAX for the designing of models. The virtual joysticks in the simulation can be interacted by using the Oculus Rift VR setup thus allowing to maneuver the crane and the container load in all three dimensions. This paper mainly discusses the structure and implementation of the virtual reality simulation for crane operator training, along with a proposal for further improvements.