With a little help from its own brand of artificial intelligence, Raymarine just developed a new DockSense system with a Virtual Bumper zone that automates docking. It introduced the new system at the Düsseldorf boat show, and will demonstrate it on a new Prestige 460 at the Miami boat show, starting Feb. 14. Prestige, a Beneteau brand, is the first production boat company to use the new system.
DockSense uses intelligent object recognition and motion sensing to help dock a boat. It relies on FLIR vision camera technology and video analytics to integrate information from the boat’s surrounding imagery with the boat’s propulsion and steering to help dock the boat, even in a tight slip.
The system uses Raymarine’s new Virtual Bumper zone technology to identify objects around the boat. If Virtual Bumper encounters a piling or another boat, for example, DockSense automatically introduces corrective steering and throttle commands to avoid it. DockSense uses GPS and attitude heading reference system position-sensing technology to compensate for wind and current.
On the boat, DockSense relies on multiple FLIR cameras, a central processing module and the DockSense App running on Raymarine’s Axiom nav display. The system integrates with joystick propulsion, providing assisted steering and throttle commands.
“Raymarine DockSense assisted docking system embodies our focus on solutions by combining FLIR navigation, machine learning and sensing technologies,” said Jim Cannon, president and CEO of FLIR. “Most importantly, we bring these innovations together into a simple solution that addresses a key customer challenge by taking the stress out of docking a boat and makes the boating experience safer and more enjoyable for everyone onboard.”
Read more, and see a great video of the system in action, below:
http://raymarine.com/docksense
http://www.raymarine.co.uk/view/blog/news/details/?ID=18373
