Sea Machines has released a whitepaper highlighting how AI-based navigation and autonomy technology developed for commercial maritime platforms such as USVs (uncrewed surface vessels) can also be used to solve the challenges faced by government maritime organizations. Adapting these commercial technologies can save governments from having to undergo highly expensive and time-consuming development cycles that start from scratch. To find out more about how commercial maritime AI solutions can be adapted to the needs of government organizations, download the full whitepaper here.

It took Odysseus ten years to find his way home from the Trojan Wars but a modern day odyssey about to launch involves an autonomous tug boat that will find its own way on a 1,000 mile journey expected to take just a couple of weeks. The project, named Machine Odyssey in a tribute to Homer's epic poem, will take a sea going tug built by Dutch shipbuilders Damen Shipyards from Hamburg, Germany around Denmark. In keeping with the theme, the tug is christened the Nellie Bly, in homage to the American journalist, industrialist, inventor, and charity worker who was widely known for her bold and record-breaking solo trip around the world in 72 days. At the helm won't be an ancient mariner, but rather the ultra modern SM300 autonomy system created by Boston maritime tech firm Sea Machines. "We recognize in today's day and age the effort on a vessel where a lot of it is still very manual today, it's still staring out those windows, it's still manual driving," said Michael Johnson, Sea Machines CEO. "The auto pilots we have are very single sensor with not a lot of feedback. A small crew will be on board to maintain the ship when the voyage is scheduled to begin Oct. 1 and the Nellie Bly's progress will be monitored and commanded back in Boston at Sea Machine's headquarters. But Johnson stresses, that's not the same as operating the ship by remote control. "The goal is 99% of the effort is taken by the autonomy system.

There are a number of autonomous boats under development, but we've seen few commercial self-driving ships plying waterways. Now, a company called Sea Machines has announced that it will send an autonomous, remotely commanded tugboat on a 1,000 nautical mile (1,150 mile) "Machine Odyssey" voyage around Denmark. The tug ("Nellie Bly") will have "full onboard vessel control managed by autonomous technology," but be operated under the authority of officers located in the US. The aim is to show "global companies that operate the fleets of cargo ships, tugs, ferries, and the many other types of commercial workboats that they can integrate autonomous technology into their vessel operations for a host of technology-driven benefits." The tug will be steered by Sea Machines' SM300 autonomous system equipped with long-range computer vision. It's a "sensor-to-propeller" system that employs "path-planning, obstacle avoidance replanning, vectored nautical chart data and dynamic domain perception" to control a voyage from start to finish.

Autonomous vessel software and systems provider Sea Machines Robotics today closed a $15 million funding round to accelerate deployment of its technologies in the unmanned naval boat and ship market. Sea Machines boldly claims this is one of the largest rounds for a tech company tackling marine and maritime use cases. Self-steering vessels aren't a new idea -- but they are gaining steam. Earlier this year, IBM and Promare -- a U.K.-based marine research and exploration charity -- trialed a prototype of an AI-powered maritime navigation system ahead of a September 6th venture to send a ship across the Atlantic Ocean. In Norway, a crewless cargo ship called the Yara Birkeland is expected to go into commercial operation later in 2020.

Autonomous vessel software and systems provider Sea Machines Robotics today closed a $15 million funding round to accelerate deployment of its technologies in the unmanned naval boat and ship market. Sea Machines boldly claims this is one of the largest rounds for a tech company tackling marine and maritime use cases. Self-steering vessels aren't a new idea -- but they are gaining steam. Earlier this year, IBM and Promare -- a U.K.-based marine research and exploration charity -- trialed a prototype of an AI-powered maritime navigation system ahead of a September 6th venture to send a ship across the Atlantic Ocean. In Norway, a crewless cargo ship called the Yara Birkeland is expected to go into commercial operation later in 2020.

The deal is significant not only to Sea Machines and Maersk, but also to the larger maritime industry as the installation marks first time computer vision, Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) and perception software will be utilized aboard a container vessel to augment and upgrade transit operations. The solution chosen by Maersk is the latest in Sea Machines' portfolio and uses artificial intelligence (AI) to improve at-sea situational awareness, object identification and tracking capabilities. Similar to Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS) commonly found in automobiles – which alerts drivers of roadway hazards and prevent accidents – Sea Machines' system uses advanced sensors to collect a continuous stream of information from a vessel's environmental surroundings, identify and track potential conflicts, and efficiently display the knowledge in the wheelhouse. Maersk's goal of the collaboration is to prove the technology aids the seafarers, can remove the line of sight restriction from the bridge, and provides the infrastructure for a future autonomous collision avoidance system. "We are extremely proud that the world's largest shipping company selected Sea Machines as their advanced perception and autonomous technology provider" explained Michael Johnson, founder and CEO, Sea Machines.