Japan’s Roboship project became the latest group to conduct
successful tests of a remote-controlled ship equipped with an automatic
collision avoidance algorithm. The roboship proof of concept test took place
off the coast of Toyosu in Tokyo, Japan on November 11. The project, which
includes the participation of 23 companies and one organization in shipbuilding
and shipping, is part of an effort to develop operating systems for coastal
vessels.
A series of verification tests were conducted by e5 Lab,
which was established by four shipping companies last year and aims to develop
a new generation of electric vessels and digitize their operation. Today’s
tests were carried out on a Kanko Kisen Kogyo owned passenger ship, the Urban
Launch, and are part of a two-day initiative called "ROBOSHIP Value
Co-creation Project Proof of Concept in Tokyo 2020."
Among the five elements that will be tested over the two
days is offshore high-speed broadband communication with the “zero accident”
application operating system for the ship and the next generation digital
navigation tools. They are also experimenting with next-generation ship land
power management and robot ship operation utilizing AI remote control
technology. The project is also exploring adaptations in systems, such as air
conditioning, to address the implications of the corona era.
Among the 23 companies participating in the project,
Mitsubishi Shipbuilding provided maritime engineering and services, remote
control/autonomous navigation support for ships. They also provided system
integration for ship propulsion units, with support from the Mitsubishi Heavy
Industries Group.
Before the tests, Mitsubishi assisted installing Super
Bridge-X, which is an operation support system with functions such as route
planning, course control, ship speed control, collision prevention, and
avoidance planning. They also prepared a remote-controlled unmanned vessel
developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and conducted a demonstration to avoid
collisions using two vessels, an urban launch, and an unmanned vessel.
Last month in Korea, another group, including Samsung Heavy
Industries, carried out a similar test of a remote-controlled vessel also using
an anti-collision AI system. They operated the tug from a remote control center
150 miles away and were successful in sending it across the harbor. Samsung
said its goal is to commercialize the technology by 2022.