Korean Firm in Discussions With Boatbuilders to Commercialize Self-Driving Technology
Seoul, South Korea-based Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) has introduced a new autonomous marine navigation system for pleasure boats at the CES consumer electronics trade show being held this week in Las Vegas.
No Captain
The new autonomous vessel operation system is being developed under a newly-launched HHI subsidiary called Avikus, which is said to stem from the word avviker, an etymological root for Vikings.
Avikus CEO Lim Do-hyeong told International Boating Industry (IBI) that the company completed successful testing of the system last summer with a fully autonomous navigation of the 6.21-mile (10 km) long Pohang Canal in Pohang City, South Korea. The waterway, with an average width of 32.81’ (10 m), is known as a complex and challenging navigational environment with highly congested ports.
The test vessel, with 12 passengers onboard, successfully navigated the waterway demonstrating the effectiveness of the company’s fully autonomous system, he says, including complete control over all navigational, docking and collision avoidance operations.
“What we have is a pilot system of hardware and software for recognition, decision making, and control,” explains Lim. “The concept is similar to systems used in automotive, but a sea environment requires more technology because the vessel operates on water and not on a road. The sea surface is more dynamic. So Hyundai has taken that technology, and technology used in large commercial ships, and for the first time is bringing that to the small leisure boat market.”
The company is presently exploring potential partners to launch the system commercially, and has entered into discussions with major boat builders, says Lim. Details, he said, could be announced later this year.
Avikus, exhibiting as part of HHI’s corporate display at CES, is demonstrating the technology with a 19.69’ (6 m) model leisure boat that visitors can board and experience a navigational simulation game using VR technology.