Volvo Penta unveils self-docking system

Volvo Penta recently demonstrated its new self-docking technology to great effect, with the system effortlessly guiding a 68-foot cruiser between two 65-foot racing yachts at the Gothernburg (Sweden) stopover of the Volvo Ocean Race.

Due for launch in 2020, the technology maneuvered the 68-footer into the small space between the two (slightly) smaller racing yachts before a crowd of Volvo Penta executives, members of the press and other interested parties, and impressed the crowd with the ease with which it accomplished what can potentially otherwise be a technically fraught affair.

The latest instalment in the company's 'Easy Boating' philosophy, which aims to make boating as simple and accessible as possible for the broadest spectrum of boat owners and users, the technology relies on the joystick-controlled Volvo Penta Inboard Performance System (IPS), the integrated propulsion system that extends from the helm to the propellers.

Through a series of sensors, including four located on the intended berth, and what Volvo Penta terms as "advanced navigation processing power", the system allows yachts to both enter and exit their berths automatically, the technology accounting for numerous variables including current, wind conditions and any obstacles.

It's not designed to be a fully autonomous system – sensors also provide a pre-collision alert function and the captain is required to remain at the helm, monitoring the docking process.

"Docking is one of the most challenging boat handling maneuvers – getting it wrong can be embarrassing, expensive and precarious," says Bjorn Ingemanson, President of Volvo Penta.

"Our IPS system has already taken great strides in making docking easier, and this new self-docking feature takes that process one important stage further. Its sensors and onboard computers react in milliseconds to changing wind and sea conditions, constantly making micro adjustments in power and steering angle of the IPS drive to keep the boat on its intended course into a safe berth.

"If necessary, the docking process can be paused, and the system will hold the boat stationary in the water. Even in changing sea conditions it can make the sea appear to stand still."

Once the captain nears the intended berth, the system recognizes it has entered a 'catch zone' and is ready to dock. The captain then activates the self-docking function, which uses a combination of GPS and sensors to maneuver the boat safely into its berth.

The company says the technology builds on the launch of its joystick docking system in 2006 and then the introduction of its Dynamic Positioning System.

Volvo Penta says the system will made available as a retrofit upgrade, and not just as something for the latest IPS-equipped vessels.

Initially the focus will be on owners who can fit the technology to their boat's private dock, while in future it will be of interest to harbours and marinas, the company says.

Related reading: