A 5G-Based VR Application for Efficient Port Management

In recent years, the throughput of cargo ports has increased rapidly. It is urgent to improve the operating efficiency of ports for its increasing demands. Both industry and academia have shown great interest in adopting 5G and Virtual Reality (VR) technologies to improve the efficiency and safety of industrial operations. However, such technologies have not been well explored in port operations. This paper proposes a 5G-based VR smart port to support intelligent management for five typical port operations. The overall architecture of the smart port and its key processes, major advantages, and limitations are discussed in this paper. An application of the proposed smart port system is demonstrated. The performance study based on network Quality of Service (QoS) and Quality of user Experience (QoE) proves the feasibility of the proposed architecture. The architecture supports efficient interaction in real-time, making comprehensive decisions, and staff training. The smart port architecture is suitable for tasks of high working intensity and can dramatically increase operational efficiency.