The Future of Intelligent Cranes: Professor Li Guojie on the Opportunities and Challenges of New Productive Forces
Li Guojie, a professor at the School of Applied Technology at Soochow University, is the inventor of patents for intelligent crane control systems and methods. The intellectualization of lifting machinery is a research area with immense innovative potential and value and is also an important direction for the deep transformation and upgrading of industries. Crane Trans- portation Machinery specifically interviewed Professor Li Guojie from the School of Applied Technology at Soochow University on topics related to new types of productive forces and crane intelligence. The interview discussed the key features of cranes equipped(gantry cranes, overhead cranes) with intelligent technology and how these advancements will empower the high-quality development of the lifting machinery industry and accelerate the creation of new productive forces.
What opportunities and challenges does the concept of new productive forces bring to traditional lifting machinery enterprises?
Li Guojie: The concept of new productive forces presents traditional lifting machinery enterprises with dual opportunities for transformation and upgrading, but it also comes with significant challenges. With the continuous advancement of intelligent manufacturing and Industry 4.0, the market demand for intelligent cranes is growing. For traditional lifting machinery enterprises, integrating intelligent technology can significantly enhance product market competitiveness, and better meet the market's demands for high efficiency, high safety, and low labor costs in lifting machinery products.
China's manufacturing industry has undergone various stages, from traditional manufacturing to advanced manufacturing and now to high-end manufacturing based on informatization, and is currently rapidly moving towards a new era of intelligent manufacturing. Lifting machinery, as indispensable logistics equipment in manufacturing, has also experienced an evolution from traditional to semi-automatic and then to automated systems. As the pace of industrial intelligence accelerates, intelligent cranes are becoming one of the key intelligent equipment urgently needed for the manufacturing industry to enter the intelligent manufacturing era. This also signifies that the lifting machinery industry is gradually entering a new era of intelligent cranes.
Intelligent cranes are high-performance products upgraded from automated cranes. The main difference from automated cranes is that intelligent cranes can operate without input from managers. Although automated cranes can operate autonomously without human intervention, they still require human control. Intelligent cranes, on the other hand, feature distinct Industry 4.0 technological characteristics. They not only meet performance indicators such as operational safety, productivity, quality, repeatability, and cost control but also possess the ability to learn, recover, and operate autonomously from failures or human intervention.
The development of intelligent crane control technology is based on new-generation information technologies such as the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, and big data, as well as research achievements in crane automation control technology. This technology has significant interdisciplinary features. Given that the foundation of crane automation technology is not yet fully solidified and the crane operating environment is affected by non-standard and uncertain factors, to prepare for the comprehensive intelligentization of the lifting machinery industry, industry researchers need to continue their scientific research efforts and invest more resources. This represents an important opportunity and challenge for traditional lifting machinery enterprises in the era of new productive forces.
You just mentioned that intelligent cranes have Industry 4.0 technological characteristics. What other key features do intelligent cranes possess?
Li Guojie: The features of intelligent cranes can be divided into general and personalized characteristics.
General characteristics are key features that all intelligent cranes possess. Intelligent cranes have self-monitoring and sensing capabilities, enabling them to perceive and automatically acquire all data and information necessary for normal operation, such as their operational capabilities, environmental conditions, and the movement status of the cargo being handled. They feature standardized communication interfaces for information sharing, smooth data connectivity, and real-time, fast exchange and processing capabilities. They also can learn and solve new problems, generating work instructions for intelligent operations through data processing, modeling, analysis, big data mining, and decision-making, enabling autonomous operation. Typical general characteristics of intelligent cranes include monitoring and sensing, data connectivity, learning and analysis, optimized decision-making, real-time feedback, adaptability, rational action, and autonomous operation similar to human behavior.
The general characteristics of intelligent cranes also have significant artificial intelligence features. Since the 21st century, artificial intelligence technology has rapidly developed with the application of techniques such as experience learning, deep learning, and big data cloud computing. Technologies like intelligent perception, visual recognition, and intelligent algorithms have thoroughly transformed traditional equipment manufacturing, driving the development of equipment intelligence and refinement. The application of artificial intelligence can endow intelligent cranes with features such as big data analysis, intelligent judgment, and rational action, enabling self-learning, self-decision-making, and adaptability, achieving real-time interaction with broad intelligent systems, and ensuring coordination and precise cooperation between cranes and all equipment and systems within broad intelligent systems.
Artificial intelligence technology can also provide accurate predictions of the remaining lifespan and operational conditions of the crane and its components by analyzing data on structural fatigue damage, actual operational capabilities, and the status of various mechanisms' transmission and braking. This enables predictive maintenance and upkeep of the crane, maximizing its operational capabilities and improving productivity.
Artificial intelligence and other technologies offer effective methods for data processing and solving non-standard and uncertain problems. The essence and main task of intelligent crane research is to effectively utilize modern information technologies such as artificial intelligence and big data to conduct intelligent upgrades of existing traditional and automated crane technologies, effectively addressing the uncertainties in intelligent crane operations, and achieving genuinely intelligent loading and unloading operations.
The personalized characteristics of intelligent cranes depend on the specific operational needs of broad intelligent systems for particular intelligent crane products. Different broad intelligent systems usually have personalized requirements for the structural characteristics, key technical parameters, and operational performance indicators of intelligent crane products. Therefore, the most important personalized feature of intelligent cranes is to meet and achieve the personalized operational and intelligent requirements set by the broad intelligent systems.
Currently, the application scenarios for lifting machinery are changing rapidly, and the key features of intelligent cranes are continually being refined. I hope this discussion on the characteristics and concepts of intelligent cranes will inspire readers and lead to deeper reflections.
What industries and products should be the focus of research and development in intelligent crane technology?
Li Guojie: Due to factors such as market size, development level, and the required automation and intelligence levels of the lifting machinery service industry, there are significant differences in the technical levels of different types of lifting machinery products, and their personalized features are quite evident. It is worth noting that the goal of intelligent crane research is challenging to achieve for all types of cranes in the short term. Instead, it should focus on industries with urgent needs for crane intelligence and the specific lifting machinery products that these industries prioritize. We should adhere to a market-demand-oriented approach, making it the main direction and goal of key technology research for intelligent cranes.
Generally speaking, industries that have started automation upgrades early and developed rapidly urgently need intelligence development. Therefore, it is recommended to focus initially on industries such as automotive manufacturing, smart factories, and smart ports, which have higher levels of automation development and greater potential for intelligent development. Based on this, it is essential to understand the specific requirements for crane product categories and intelligence levels in these industries. Only by clarifying the specific requirements of industries and markets for intelligent crane products can our research on crane intelligence be more targeted and purposeful.
Attention should also be given to the intelligent upgrading needs of existing automation equipment in industries such as energy, steel, logistics and warehousing, and aerospace, as well as the automation and intelligence needs of lifting machinery operating under special conditions such as high temperatures and high pollution. Automated crane products, including garbage grab cranes, steel mill coil and slab handling cranes, and ladle cranes, have been well applied and are also key areas for focused research and investment in intelligent upgrades in recent years. Targeted research and application in these areas will more effectively promote the development and application of intelligent cranes in the intelligent manufacturing sector.
What advantages and challenges do intelligent cranes face in the process of achieving intelligent manufacturing?
Li Guojie: Intelligent cranes exhibit significant advantages in promoting intelligent manufacturing. They can greatly enhance operational efficiency, optimize processes, reduce energy consumption and production costs, and achieve energy saving and carbon reduction through precise intelligent operations. Additionally, their precise positioning and anti-sway control functions play a crucial role in improving operational safety and reducing accident risks.
However, there are also numerous challenges in the development and research of intelligent cranes on the path to intelligent manufacturing. Currently, the development of intelligent cranes in China is still in its early stages. Due to the generally low profit margins in the lifting machinery industry and the predominance of small-batch custom production models, many enterprises, to address survival issues first, have to allocate their main R&D efforts to non-standard product development. This results in insufficient investment in fundamental research, key core technologies, and high-end product development, leading to a limited accumulation of cutting-edge key technologies in the domestic lifting machinery industry, including innovative research capabilities for intelligent cranes.
Moreover, there are currently no universal standards internationally to regulate and guide the research, development, design, and manufacturing of intelligent cranes. Some industry enterprises have differing understandings of key features, methods of achieving crane intelligence, and the components and functions of intelligent control systems. The lack of a cohesive research effort on core technologies has somewhat impacted the development and application of intelligent crane products in China.
As China rapidly advances from a major manufacturing country to a manufacturing powerhouse, traditional manufacturing industries are quickly transforming and gradually entering a new era of intelligent manufacturing. The development of the manufacturing environment will concurrently drive the lifting machinery industry from traditional to intelligent directions. Lifting machinery enterprises should seize this rare development opportunity, actively face the challenges of crane intelligence, increase investment and research efforts, and focus on talent development and introduction to enhance technical levels and innovation capabilities.
At the same time, enterprises in the lifting machinery industry should actively seek close cooperation with domestic and international universities and research institutions, collaborate on the development of common technologies for crane intelligence, and gradually form a research synergy to jointly promote the intelligent transformation and upgrading of cranes and the development of intelligent lifting machinery products. With the hard work and collective effort of the entire industry, the lifting machinery industry in China is expected to usher in the era of intelligence soon.