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The UPC-Barcelona Tech Industrial Equipment Design Center (CDEI), the Catalan company Elebia SL, and researchers from the Center of Technological Innovation in Power Electronics and Drives (CITCEA) have developed a remote-control motorized lifting system for moving various types of loads automatically.

The pioneering initiative has led to the award of a patent for the elebia®e5 automatic hook, which automates the loading and unloading process and avoids the need to handle heavy loads directly. Carles Domènech, a member of the CDEI and the project director, explains that, “Until now, operators of traditional loading machinery had to loop the handles of the container over the hook manually, lift the crane, place the container on the truck, climb on to the truck to remove the handles from the hook, and repeat the entire process for each container. This new system increases productivity and is much safer for the operator”.

The elebia®e5 system uses a powerful electromagnet that enables the hook to be rotated freely when lifting specific loads with slings or elevation rings that contain magnetic elements. To attach the load, the operator presses a button on the remote control that attracts and positions the sling. The hook then closes and locks automatically, so the crane can lift the load and move it to the required location. The motor that opens and closes the hook is not powerful enough to work when the load is connected, so there is no risk of accidental release.

The automatic hook can be used in transport, industrial, naval and agricultural logistics, and is particularly suitable for the construction sector. Elebia has signed agreements with several companies, including the multinational Holcim, BigMat, Grúas Catalá and Grupo COBRA, who will fit the system to their hydraulic loaders.