Self-driving boats to use Hyundai’s autonomous car technology
Avikus, Hyundai’s self-driving boat skunk works, to add water wings to road-going car techAvikus, Hyundai’s self-driving boat start-up, will start to tap technology developed for the road and look at ways it can be adapted for life on the water.
Under a deal announced yesterday, Avikus will use Hyundai’s AutoEver self-driving platform for what it calls its “self-boating platform”.
The pact now means Avikus can use AutoEver’s “mobilegene” software platform, designed for a new generation of driverless cars, to develop its boat-based NeuBoat autonomous systems.
According to Avikus, NeuBoat’s primary target will be the North American leisure boating market, the largest leisure boating market in the world, accounting for more than half of the global market share.
“It is estimated, by Avikus’ internal study with McKinsey & Company, that more than 400,000 autonomous navigation systems will be ready to install on new or existing boats annually from 2024 to 2030,” Avikus said.
“The global market for leisure boats is expected to grow rapidly, with boat construction increasing by more than 40 per cent after the pandemic.”
Avikus chief executive Lim Do-hyeong said unlike cars, autonomous boating was a new market that was expected to grow quickly “due to the nature of leisure boats, with many novice drivers and low price elasticity”.
He said tapping Hyundai’s car-based platform would give the Avikus project a big advantage in safety and cybersecurity – important in keeping hackers out of an autonomous boat’s computer-based network.
Avikus has also paired with marine electronics group Raymarine to integrate its marine-rated electronics systems into the Avikus autonomous boat system.
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.
