Avikus self-docking tech to roll out in boats from 2024
Avikus-developed self-driving boat systems using Raymarine hardware will soon appear in production motor yachtsAvikus, the autonomous boat division of car-maker Hyundai, will launch its first NeuBoat systems for recreational boats as early as late this year.
Raymarine, which provides the cameras, sensors and electronic backbone for the NeuBoat systems, announced that “several major boatbuilders” will start to integrate a self-docking system into their next model years.
The NeuBoat Dock technology that the boats will use will have its official unveiling at the Cannes Yachting Festival in France later this month, with live demonstrations of the system at the International Boatbuilders Exhibition, IBEX, in Tampa, Florida in October.
NeuBoat Dock will use six cameras to provide the Avikus system with a bird’s eye view of the water and structures around the boat, which it then feeds to a Raymarine Axiom multifunction screen at the helm.
The system’s artificial intelligence will then help to move the boat in tight quarters, such as backing into a berth.
Easy to install
According to Raymarine, the NeuBoat Dock system is easy for boatbuilders to incorporate, with simple calibration that can also be performed remotely by Raymarine’s team.
Raymarine UK general manager Gregoire Outters said the company was excited about sharing its technology with the rest of the marine industry.
“The boatbuilders who have signed on are just the beginning, the technological union between Raymarine and Avikus is going to usher in a new age of boating for the entire recreational industry,” Otters said.
“We couldn’t be prouder of our collaboration with the Avikus team.”
Raymarine and Avikus announced they would work together after Avikus demonstrated an early version of its NeuBoat technology at the 2022 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show in the US.
The agreement would let Avikus work with Raymartine to integrate its artificial intelligence technology into Raymarine’s suite of electronics that was already on sale.
The pair aims to be the first in the world to market an autonomous leisure boat package.
More autonomy coming
The Cannes reveal will also send a signal to rival autonomous boat developers including the US-based Brunswick Corporation which has teased a self-docking system fitted to a Boston Whaler boat, and Swedish marine engine group Volvo Penta, which has recently trialled a more polished version of its self-docking system that relays in part on sensors mounted on land.
The technology is aimed at making docking – one of the most difficult negatives of boat ownership – as trouble-free as possible.
Docking technology has already taken half-steps to full autonomy by offering features such as GPS-based virtual anchors that can hold a boat at station against wind and tide, and joystick systems that take over the engines and steering to greatly simplify low-speed manoeuvring.
The Cannes Yachting Festival runs from September 12-17 while IBEX runs from October 3-5.
Tags
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
