Volvo Penta reveals smarter Assisted Docking system
Volvo Penta's smarter Assisted Docking can now automatically take care of winds and currentsVolvo Penta has revealed an even smarter version of its automated docking system that can now automatically account for wind and current without the need for the skipper to counter-steer into them.
The updated system was unveiled overnight at the 2021 Consumer Electronics Show, an annual cutting-edge technology showcase held in Las Vegas in the US and known more for self-driving cars than self-parking boats.
However, this year’s show is a virtual affair as the US struggles with the COVID-19 pandemic, and making it easier for the Swedish company to showcase its on-water tech prowess.
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The smarter joystick-based system, a hybrid between manual and fully automated docking, is built around ease of use, with the technology adapting to move in straight lines without the need for “manual compensation” from the user.
According to Volvo Penta, it is so easy to use that it “lets all boaters feel more like seasoned captains” while using it.
“With the joystick, you control the boat’s path and speed, while the system compensates for much of the wind and current,” Volvo Penta said.
“Push the joystick forward and the system lays out a straight path that the boat follows. At any time, you can release the joystick and your boat will stay in a fixed position.”
The new system will also allow the boat to slowly pivot around a fixed position to properly align with a dock without drifting off its path, and can then crab sideways using taps of the joystick.
Once alongside the dock, skippers can then push the joystick sideways to activate the “side push” function that will stick the boat against the dock so passengers can board or disembark, or the docking lines can be fixed.
The new docking assist technology is able to be retrofitted to boats using Volvo Penta’s Integrated Pod System drives installed from 2012.
It is fully integrated into Volvo Penta’s Glass Cockpit interface, with visual indicators – blue lines appearing forwards or sideways, or a circle – showing what level of assistance the skipper is receiving.
Owners will need to update their GPS antenna to improve the boat’s dynamic positioning system for Assisted Docking to work.
Volvo Penta said the new technology would be arriving on the global market in the third quarter of 2021.
Volvo Penta is not the first boating brand to make a splash at CES. Last year, US fibreglass boat brand Sea Ray launched the Sea Ray SLX-R 400e Outboard, a new-generation boat that tapped cutting-edge battery power so it relied less on fossil fuels.
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