With self-driving cars all over the news and internet, it is not a far stretch to think that autonomous boats are not far behind. The truth is they are closer to reality than one might think. Marine industry giants such as Brunswick are dedicating funds and resources to the endeavor and small companies are developing the technology quietly behind the scenes. It seems that it won’t be long before a captain less ride on the water will be a reality.
Images courtesy of Roboat
Brunswick, a major player in the marine industry with a long list of boat manufacturers in its portfolio and an equally impressive dedication to research and development, is working diligently on the technology. Recently at the 2022 CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas gave a glimpse of what they are working on. Building on their ACES (Autonomy, Connectivity, Electrification, and Shared Access) strategy for growth into the future, they displayed some of what they have been working on in partnership with Carnegie Robotics. A video simulation can be seen here. Utilizing GNSS along with a series of cameras they have developed a vessel perception system that will alert the captain to obstacles that may affect the vessel while underway, a significant step towards autonomous piloting of vessels. Carnegie Robotics is also working on slow speed performance in complicated scenarios such as docking, object and vector tracking at speed with path guidance, as well as a 360-degree full surround view with blind spot detection. All these features combined are being developed into a viable autonomous technology for boats.
Images courtesy of Roboat
Another company quietly working on autonomous marine technology is Roboat. A collaboration between MIT and the Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions has resulted in working prototypes that are plying the canals of Amsterdam today. They have developed robotic vessels that can transport, on demand, up to six passengers on fixed routes around the city’s canal system. This innovative company has also prototyped a version of these small autonomous vessels to act as floating dumpsters that can reduce the need for large trash collection trucks, reducing noise, pollution and city congestion. The company even claims that a version of these craft in a combined nature, can be created to act as temporary and on demand infrastructure such as temporary bridges, relieving congestion when needed. These craft are powered by a large lithium battery and 2 Torqeedo electric motors along with two thrusters. They are controlled with a combination of LIDAR, cameras GPS and a digital compass all fed into an onboard computer that can take the information and create a safe autonomous voyage from it. These vessels not only have the capability of navigating the canals of Amsterdam safely but can also dock themselves and remain docked securely through a cleaver and completely automated docking system. The docking locations are fitted with a special attachment that has two retractable arms that passively lock the autonomous craft in place while docked. While still in the prototype phase these craft are proving that autonomy on the water can be accomplished safely.
Images courtesy of Roboat