Photo courtesy WBFO News
The self-driving boat during sea trials.
Soundings Trade Only Today
The small start-up Buffalo Automation has developed a self-driving boat and is out on the water conducting trial runs.
The system consists of on board computers programmed by the Buffalo Automation team. They steer the boat with the help of GPS and several cameras and sensors including Light Imaging Detection and Ranging that detects objects on the surface as well as their size and exact disposition.
Chris Edwards, the company's Lead Autonomous Systems Engineer, said the challenge of developing an autonomous operating system for boats is the elements including wind and current, comparing it to driving a car on ice. Additionally, the system needs to recognize hazards including submerged objects and debris, even fishing lines. Even leaves changing colors can affect the system.
During the off-season Buffalo Automation will be improving the system’s algorithms. Edwards says he will be on the water as much as possible to collect data. The more information he can collect for the system, the more the team can advance the machine learning technology.
Eventually, Edwards hopes to offer the boat to recreational boaters.
Read the original article published here.