Self Driving, not just autopilot.... boats?

[DaleM]

There's a lot of talk around self-driving cars taking themselves around town and safely navigating through towns, roads, etc. Do you think there's any real-world use in adapting the safety aspect of what that technology provides to the marine world? Being specific, to the pleasure boat crowd? There's collision avoidance in cars on highways. Boats have radar, AIS, etc. They also have Sky-hook technology to hold point so GPS is already involved.

Why not a similar 'active avoidance collision system' in boats? Not "suddenly veer right" stuff, but stuff "based on speed, distance, and how long it would take an X-ton vessel to stop" type system that uses active laser/radar input? Skyhook stuff is already involved with the engines/tranny so add some software and some additional sensors and it seems... simple right?

Here's an article that made me think about it. I do not have the technical knowledge to do this but if it can be done in a garage and work at 70+mph why not on the water too? Or, has it been done? I'm talking specifically towards the civilian boat world. The military probably had this forever ago! Winter be gone. Save some lives.

http://www.bloomberg.com/features/2015-george-hotz-self-driving-car/

 

[Gofirstclass]

One huge diff between doing that in cars vs. boats is that cars drive on roadways that are divided. Traffic only flows in 2 directions and for the most part stays between the lines, only turns at intersections, obeys stop lights, etc.

Boats can go any direction they want, at any speed they want (except for no wake zones), turn whenever they want and have no lines to stay between. They can legally cross in front of you as long as they don't create an accident scenario, pass on the right or the left, tow skiers tubers and wakeboarders, etc.

WAAAAAAY too many variables in boating. But then, I'm the one who didn't buy Starbucks stock when it came out because I didn't think ANYONE would EVER pay $5 for a cup of joe.

 

[Henry Boyd]

Rolls Royce is currently researching fully autonomous ships. There are a lot of issues that have more to do with vessel systems repair and maintenance than the actual navigation. Surprisingly one of the biggest is the centuries old body of admiralty law based on the notion of the authority and responsibility of the captain under the law.

Henry


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[BigBoysToys]

The physical and mental act of navigating and piloting my boat is one of the biggest reasons I love the lifestyle. I hope to never see fully autonomous boats in my lifetime. I love technology and have more of it than most on my boat but the final decision is always mine. I'd prefer to keep it that way.

 

[highslice]

The physical and mental act of navigating and piloting my boat is one of the biggest reasons I love the lifestyle. I hope to never see fully autonomous boats in my lifetime. I love technology and have more of it than most on my boat but the final decision is always mine. I'd prefer to keep it that way.

My thoughts exactly. Boating, specifically driving (piloting/navigating...your choice) my boat, is the most relaxing activity I have.

 

[sbw1]

It's not an active avoidance system, but many modern radars have software that allows you to track multiple targets to help avoid collisions. I use it all the time in shipping lanes in northern Lake Michigan. You can see large vessels and tall vessels from 20 miles away and get an estimate of their speeds, headings, distances apart when passing as well as the time lines. I've tracked 3 or more targets and let the auto pilot do the work. If need be, you push the dodge button and steer away from the targets if a preset safety margin will be breached. Takes away the guess work.

On a side note, the Google cars are causing crashes because they suddenly merge and do other things that cause accidents. Google engineers are working the correct the software to take the real world into account.

 

[Henry Boyd]

Automation and autonomous machines are becoming a large part of port terminals these days. I know of one terminal on the west coast that is so automated that containers are unloaded from ships based on work orders issued by the terminal operating system software. The work orders go directly to the automated STS crane that locates the box, removes it from the ship and places it on an automated guided vehicle. The AGV takes the box to a storage yard where an automated stacking crane removes the box, places it in a stack and then notifies the TOS of the containers location. During this process the cranes are managed by two workers who while called operators actually are just there to fix issues that happen when something goes wrong. There are another two workers who inspect the containers at each of the cranes.

The difference between this equipment and the autonomous Google car is that the sensor package (d-GPS, laser range finding and locating hardware, and advanced OCR, as well as IR and thermal sensors for after dark and or bad weather) runs about $300 k per crane. The software component is about $2.00 mm, but that is divisible by the number of cranes in service.

Ignoring the human social costs, automation is hands down better than human operated equipment; consistent operation of the lift and trolley motors, optimized lifting patterns etc.

The fact is if one wanted a boat, or car, that was fully automated it could be done today, but would probably come with a $500 k charge just for the control systems.

I personally agree that on recreational boats, anything beyond autopilot defeats the whole reason for boating. But blow boaters have known this for years.

Henry


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[DaleM]

Automation and autonomous machines are becoming a large part of port terminals these days. I know of one terminal on the west coast that is so automated that containers are unloaded from ships based on work orders issued by the terminal operating system software. The work orders go directly to the automated STS crane that locates the box, removes it from the ship and places it on an automated guided vehicle. The AGV takes the box to a storage yard where an automated stacking crane removes the box, places it in a stack and then notifies the TOS of the containers location. During this process the cranes are managed by two workers who while called operators actually are just there to fix issues that happen when something goes wrong. There are another two workers who inspect the containers at each of the cranes.

The difference between this equipment and the autonomous Google car is that the sensor package (d-GPS, laser range finding and locating hardware, and advanced OCR, as well as IR and thermal sensors for after dark and or bad weather) runs about $300 k per crane. The software component is about $2.00 mm, but that is divisible by the number of cranes in service.[/QUOTE]

that's pretty cool stuff! I completely get why we go out on the water. To disconnect. In my industry I'd love to STAY disconnected due to obvious threats that come with being online all the time. (I prefer anchoring where there isn't some sort of 'service' available for cell phones). It was more of a safety question. All good points everyone has highlighted! Maintaining a boat is $$ enough - adding that cost would make it unreal.

 

[k9medic]

Heck, with my Garmin 4208 updated to the newest software, I don't think I can get any closer to the boat being self driving. It will follow previous tracks with the autopilot so it will even lead me out of the channel through the markers.

With MARPA and AIS on the market, I'm just about as un-involved as I could possibly be at the wheel while actually sitting there in "command."

 

[War Eagle]

With the computing power available today - it's certainly possible - not sure I want to see it in my life time. Driverless cars, pilotless airliners, drones, subs, etal are certainly in our future.

Just not a lot of satisfaction in letting the autopilot do it - give me the sun, stars, and a sextant any day - no batteries required!