USE Network launch I UAV Works VALAQ l Cable harnesses l USVs insight l Xponential 2020 update l MARIN AUV l Suter Industries TOA 288 l Vitirover l AI systems l Vtrus ABI

47 more precise position and heading measurements. Lastly, a laser rangefinder was installed for added positioning accuracy, in particular to verify that GNSS-INS readings are correctly guiding the ferry into and out of port. “The control computer software is based on our dynamic positioning [DP] system, which we’ve been developing for the past 35-40 years, but we rewrote the software to adapt it to holding precise headings and attitudes instead,” Trinterud adds. The DP system automatically performs all the docking and transit functions repeatably and accurately during every journey, resulting in better timekeeping. Notably, during trials of the adaptive transit system last year, the Basto Fosen VI consistently arrived within 2 s of the scheduled time. Also, the technology offers potential for optimising ships’ fuel consumption rates, reducing their operating costs and emissions. “The byword for the development process was ‘manoeuvring’ – we wanted advanced manoeuvring capabilities that would improve over time, hence the term ‘adaptive’,” Trinterud explains. “So we intend to use a combination of machine learning and software patch updates to hone the system’s accuracy and widen its capabilities in the future.” The limitations of this approach to improving and maturing the adaptive transit system, Trinterud notes, lie not in technology but in collision regulations (COLREGs), which are very strict on what ships must and cannot do during navigation. If the ferry’s autonomy becomes too sophisticated, it could become challenging to ensure that its intelligent behaviour during voyages matches what other, manned ships nearby can expect. “The COLREGs describe scenarios with recommended responses, such as when two or three vessels are on a collision course, which vessel must move where to avoid that collision, based on the angles of approach and so on,” Trinterud says. “The behaviour of an automated vessel must follow rule-based commands, even if intelligence-based controls classify somewhere other than the COLREG-recommended route as a safer or easier option.” At present, if vessels or objects are detected on a collision course with the Basto Fosen VI , an alarm sounds and the captain will take the controls. An anti-collision system consisting of radar and electro-optical sensors is expected to be fitted to the ferry later this year to begin testing. First responders The prototype of SWL Robotics’ manned/ unmanned flagship vessel, the FR-10, is in the final stages of manufacturing, with testing set to begin soon. USVs | Insight Unmanned Systems Technology | June/July 2020 An ‘adaptive transit’ functionality automates all the routine movements for the ‘Basto Fosen VI’ ferry to a precise and repeatable degree (Courtesy of Kongsberg Maritime) than human operators in repetitive tasks, but not improvised decisions in the kinds of random incidents that can occur on long voyages – for the time being. We therefore anticipate this system being used in ferries and other ships making short, regular trips between known ports, such as for commuters or logistics.” The ferry already uses Kongsberg thrusters that are controlled ‘by wire’ from the command deck, as is typical for modern vessels. The first item added as part of this new project was a control computer that would emulate the captain’s regulation inputs to the controls. Kongsberg’s engineers then upgraded the onboard GNSS-INS to enable The interior of the FR-10 contains a diesel turbo-generator, lithium-ion battery pack, and a hangar bay for a UUV for subsea searches and inspection (Courtesy of SWL Robotics)