Together with Loxystem, Informasic has developed the winning embedded system solution which is a new technology for automated container handling. Container twist locks can now be remotely controlled using an embedded wireless solution that improve both productivity and security, and is a big step towards fully automated container terminals. The solution is called Remote Controlled AutomaticTwistlock and the potential market is estimated to 4 million units annually.

- The new product is a proof of how traditional manufacturing industries can benefit from the high tech electronics industry and where the result is a product that dramatically can improve the competitiveness, says Leif Åkesson, CEO at Informasic.

The Swedish Embedded Award is awarded to a new designed product within the micro- and nanotechnology field. This is the sixth time the prize is awarded. The organizations behind the prize are the Swedish Association of Electronics Industries, IM–Embedded Technology, Elektronik i Norden, Scandinavian Technical Fair, tekniQ – the Knowledge Foundation's Expert Competence Program in Intelligent Products and minST – the Knowledge Foundation's Expert Competence Program in Micro- and Nanosystems.

-We clearly see this prize as evidence and recognition for our innovative ideas, that has now been realized into a solution that has a large potential on the international market, says Dag Tryggö, CEO at Loxystem, who owns the product.

About the solution
When containers are transported on ships many of the containers are stacked several storages above the deck surface. To avoid displacement of the cargo or unintentional dropping over board, the containers need to be secured to each other by the aid of twist locks. Every such twist lock needs to be extremely solid and robust to withstand a minimum of 50 tons tension force. The twist locks that are used today are all exclusively mechanical solutions that must be unlocked manually. This procedure is a both dangerous and inefficient work, keeping the ships and cranes waiting.

The new patented solution from Loxystem is also a twist lock that is placed in each corner of the container. However, the new solution makes it possible to remotely control the locks using an embedded system containing both an electronically controlled motor and a radio communication module. This way the crane operator is able to open the locks from his ordinary cabin position. The stevedores will not need to perform any dangerous work on the containers anymore and a big step to a fully automated loading/unloading of containers can be achieved. Consequently both the productivity and security levels can be increased. Remote controlled twist locks is a key factor to increased automation

The hardware is based on a System on Chip solution. The radio communication follows the 802.15.4 standard using the free 2.4GHz frequency band. The system’s low power consumption also extends the battery lifetime significantly.  A new radio protocol and a customized antenna solution have been developed to make the radio communication function well in a complex container environment. The project has included integration of motor control and sensors and also development of software and radio communication for a Windows based handheld computer.