Dangers in shipping? We actually rarely hear about them. But according to Roll-Royce, there is plenty of room for improving maritime safety. The company recently announced it was joining forces with Intel, accelerating the development of autonomous shipping systems. Increased safety and efficiency should be the result.
Intel has solid ambitions when it comes to autonomous vehicles. The company's navigation technology is found in drones, among other things. Just last year, the company acquired Israel's Moileye, which specialises in unmanned vehicle technology. Rolls-Royce has also made considerable strides towards autonomous navigation. Since the company presented its vision of robotic cargo ships in 2014, its work has included working with the European Space Agency on satellite systems for communication between ships.
It also launched Intelligent Awareness systems to guide vessels safely across Japanese waters. Such systems process data from lidar and radar technology, thermal cameras, HD cameras, satellites and weather forecasts to improve awareness of the environment. According to Rolls-Royce, an IA system aboard a 165-metre-long passenger ship was deployed in Japan, allowing the crew to recognise objects they would not otherwise see in darkness.
Meanwhile, IA development continues; Intel is now building Xeon Scalable processors for shipboard servers. Data is stored on Intel's 3D NAND SSDs. Intel's Field Programmable Gate Array technology will also be used. Rolls-Royce can use this to recognise obstacles and navigate past them.
Rolls-Royce expects the first robotic ships to launch in 2020. The collaboration with Intel will support ship owners in automating ship navigation and sailing. This will reduce the risk of human error while allowing the crew to focus on other, more valuable tasks.
