Design and application of the Intelligent Cargo Hold Clearing Robot system for bulk carrier

Aiming to address the issues associated with traditional artificial cargo hold clearing operations, such as high risk, low efficiency and an insufficient level of automation, this paper introduces the Intelligent Cargo Hold Clearing Robot（ICHCR） system for bulk carriers. Based on dual-mode control, the ICHCR system achieves unmanned operation and robot-shore collaborative intelligent cargo hold clearing. The article presents an intelligent robot hardware system for cargo hold clearing and a cloud control platform for immersive operation. Intelligent control methods for the ICHCR are investigated, including perception and localization inside the cargo holds, and dual control modes of cloud control and autonomous navigation operation. Other core technologies include robot-shore cooperative cargo hold clearing. Finally, the system was applied and validated on a 70, 000-tonne Panamax bulk carrier in a grain port. Experimental results demonstrate that the ICHCR system improves the safety of cargo hold clearing operations, optimizing the overall process and reduces time consumption, meeting the requirements of safety and efficiency.