Artificial Intelligence for Improved Vessel Handling & Safety

In my professional life, I’ve dismissed most artificial intelligence (AI) tools I stumble across as manifestations of a flawed invention consistently oversold by hubristic tech bros and investment con-artists. For editors and publishers, AI applications are a reliable source of soberly stated falsehoods and elliptical reasoning—distractions more notable for amusing errors than brilliant solutions.

Obviously, an AI graphics application that regularly and earnestly renders images of six-fingered human hands has no real understanding of the basics of anatomy. But what if we could leave reasoning and judgement about human needs and forms to humans while simultaneously benefiting from the statistical and computing power of machine learning?

While safety at sea is not a priority anyone would trust to an “intelligence” that can’t be taught to distinguish between five and six fingers, it is precisely where I first encountered an application of AI that harnessed the power of fast data processing and predictive analysis but left the judgment and action to human boat operators. Icelandic startup Hefring Marine’s AI-driven marine guidance technology was developed as a tool to advise operators of high-speed boats when they might be exposing themselves, their passengers, and their vessels to potentially damaging slamming loads. Notably, it didn’t adjust the throttle automatically, but it warned the helmsperson of risks, deferring to human judgement to take corrective measures.

Karl Birgir Björnsson, CEO and co-founder of Hefring Marine spoke with ProBoat at Metstrade in Amsterdam last November to explain the genesis of his company and the subsequent refinement of Hefring’s monitoring and advisory software to optimize performance for other parameters, including fuel efficiency and commercial schedules.

Joining us for the discussion about practical AI applications on the water was Andrew Rains, sales director at Florida and Alabama-based Tocaro Blue. I’d encountered the company’s Proteus system while testing an Ocean Craft Marine RIB last October at IBEX in Tampa and was impressed how it substantially simplified the confusion of displays on multiple screens or overlays for chart data, radar, compass, AIS, and GPS inputs into a single interface that’s intuitive for operators running boats in challenging, distracting environments. Again, it’s an application that leaves the decision making to the professional at the helm but provides them with improved clear and actionable information.

Björnsson and Rains gave me an education in the challenges and potentials of developing AI for high-stakes marine applications where errors have real consequences and most operators have 10 fingers.

By Aaron Porter Professional Boat Builder Magazine

Watch the video here!