Volvo Demonstrates Self-Parking Boat
MostCynical writes:
Boating Magazine has a story about the new Volvo Penta self-docking boat.
While autopilot has been available in boats for ages, Volvo's new docking system moves beyond that. It's a big step toward true self-driving boats. While cars can be expected to primarily move forward down a road, autonomy in boats is more complex because they have to be able to move in multiple directions. What's more, for a boat, the road is moving. The yacht uses the joystick-controlled Volvo Penta Inboard Performance System (IPS), which was first sold in 2006. The company later introduced the Dynamic Positioning System, which uses individual drives to automatically preserve a boat's heading and position, even during strong winds or tides. The self-docking yacht incorporates both of these systems into an onboard electronic vessel control system, which maneuvers the steering according to the boat's actual position.
When the boat arrives in a predefined "catch zone," it alerts the captain that it's ready to activate the self-docking function. Once initiated, the boat relies on GPS to move close to the berth, and waits for the captain to enable the final stage[.]
The system uses GPS and local sensors on both the boat and the berth to identify the docking location. After making the system available for retrofit on IPS-enabled vessels, Volvo intends to develop a fully-automated boat.
Read more of this story at SoylentNews.