One of the best things about AHTI is that as well as being able to test out our own technology, we can partner with other technology providers and see not only how AHTI responds but how all the tech works together. Collaboration is vital to shape the future and AHTI lives and breathes it!
We’re working with two partners at the moment, who you can read about below.
Much debate is had about the value of camera-based object detection. The concept of machine vision closely resembles human eyesight, so it feels entirely natural to point cameras at the world, task them with “seeing” and reporting back to us. The question is: does a machine see the same way we do? Just because something naturally displays on a screen doesn’t mean it is immune against errors. Tremendous progress has been achieved over the last years in the field of machine vision in on-shore applications, but the sea, as usual, holds some specific challenges.
SEA.AI has set out to answer some of these questions and they do this in some ways differently than others. It’s not yet fully clear what the potential is for added safety on today’s ships, or the implications for a future governed by higher levels of automation, but it looks promising indeed. Exploring them together is the better approach – and more fun on top!
DRYNET
At Wärtsilä, when something we need already exists, we prefer collaboration to re-invention. When we needed maritime connectivity, we turned to our partner DRYNET. For our purposes connectivity is not limited to having internet or email on board the ship, but about making reliable, resilient and affordable connectivity available on board.
Connectivity is a crucial building block for not-so-future applications like increased remote situational awareness and remote control, but also to manage the vast amount of data streams AHTI generates. While we are all (outside Germany!) completely used to having Netflix on our mobile phone anytime and anywhere, the answer is again not so simple at sea. Tackling this challenge head-on is the only way to overcome this.
