What sounds like a horror scenario for many a sports skipper will soon be part of everyday life on the water: thanks to AI, the world’s largest shipbuilder (and parent company of Avikus), Hyundai Heavy Industries, is already using autonomous capabilities to navigate ships across the ocean on their own; humans only supervise. Now AI is also finding its way into recreational boats. An important component here is the LiDAR. Autonomous boating – pros and cons.
It can be a little frightening to see the rapid pace at which artificial intelligence (AI) is being integrated into our world and our everyday lives. On the one hand, there is fascination with AI, but on the other hand, there is the fear that at some point, humans will no longer be able to keep up with technology and will no longer be able to fully control it, which could virtually become independent.
But it may not be that far yet. LiDAR, a key technology for autonomous driving, which is the subject of this article, was previously only known to be used in Level 3 and Level 4 vehicles on the road, i.e. in partially and fully autonomous cars. While Tesla relies exclusively on a combination of cameras and radar for autopilot and full self-driving (FSD), Mercedes-Benz, for example, already uses the LiDAR system for its luxury electric car EQS for autonomous driving at level 3.
Other examples include the new Volvo EX90, which will soon be equipped with a Luminar LiDAR sensor to support Level 3 autonomous driving, as well as the BMW i7 (Highway Assistant), the Audi A8 (Traffic Jam Pilot), Honda, Waymo, Lucid Motors and Toyota/Lexus. Rivian is also in the starting blocks and plans to use LiDAR technology in its future R1T/R1s models.
The advantages of LiDAR in vehicles are obvious: the system detects other vehicles, pedestrians and obstacles with high accuracy in milliseconds, works – unlike conventional cameras – even in the dark and rain, and ensures precise navigation by generating 3D models and depth data.
But what exactly is a LiDAR system? LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) is an optical distance-measuring and 3D mapping technology. It uses laser beams to precisely detect objects in the environment and calculate distances. LiDAR is often compared to radar, but it uses light waves instead of radio waves, which gives it higher accuracy and resolution.
How does a LiDAR system work? A LiDAR system consists of three main components: a laser emitter sends laser pulses (often in the infrared range) in different directions. Receivers (sensors) detect the reflected light after it has been bounced off objects in the environment. Finally, a processing unit (PU) calculates the distance to objects based on the time of flight of the light and creates a highly precise 3D map of the environment.
Autonomous ships have already crossed the Atlantic, and now AI is also finding its way into leisure boats.
LiDAR is now also being used in shipping. At first glance, this makes perfect sense: by emitting laser pulses and measuring the reflected signals, the technology enables an absolutely precise recording of the environment – even on the water. This can be particularly useful for navigation, obstacle detection and mapping in maritime environments.
Hyundai Heavy Industries, the world’s largest shipbuilder and Avikus’ parent company, was the first to recognize this – and implement it. HHI is already using autonomous capabilities to navigate ships across oceans, albeit under human supervision. Its subsidiary Avikus has enabled a commercial ship to successfully make an ocean crossing – completely autonomously.
A by-product of these activities, NeuBoat, is currently conquering the market – a solution developed from the outset by the commercial shipping sector with the intention of also innovating the recreational marine market in parallel.
The world’s first autonomous solution for recreational boats is called Raymarine x Avikus NeuBoat
Raymarine was one of the first marine electronics manufacturers to take notice of the activities of HHI and its subsidiary Avikus. Raymarine already had its own experiences with so-called ADAS technology systems (Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems), ClearCruise and DockSense applications. Both companies then agreed to a partnership with the aim of developing and launching the world’s first autonomous solution for leisure boats, the Raymarine x Avikus NeuBoat.
Mit dem Laden des Videos akzeptieren Sie die Datenschutzerklärung von YouTube.
Mehr erfahren
The first solution to emerge from this collaboration was recently presented: the so-called NeuBoat Dock is a 360-degree view camera system for assisted docking. “NeuBoat Dock integrates with Axiom chartplotters, eliminates blind spots and makes docking stress-free,” the manufacturer says.
NeuBoat Dock (and the next step: NeuBoat Navigation) is available for newly built powerboats and catamarans and is designed to provide an overview of the boat from a bird’s eye view with an integrated system with separate cameras and a LiDAR. Up to six cameras are designed to eliminate blind spots, and the orientation guides shown on the display are intended to provide additional assistance when maneuvering in tight berths and along quays.
The installation positions of the cameras and the LiDAR will be adapted to the individual boat design. The display will be via an Axiom chart plotter, Raymarine says. This will then provide easy touchscreen access to the system’s user interface.
The LiDAR system has been used in boats for several years.
But its use in boats is not that new: research projects such as “Roboat II” have already developed autonomous watercraft that use LiDAR sensors for navigation in urban waterways. LiDAR sensors have also been installed on boats for hydrographic surveying in the past to collect data on water bodies, coastlines and coastal areas.
Velodyne also became known in connection with the development of 3D LiDAR sensors used in autonomous boats. Just one example of this is the Embry-Riddle project, in which a Velodyne HDL-32E LiDAR sensor was used to navigate an unmanned boat through an obstacle course.
The German company Sick AG already manufactures 2D and 3D LiDAR sensors for various applications, including maritime applications; Riegl, based in Austria, has specialized in the development of LiDAR systems for several years and offers solutions for maritime data collection.
LiDARs have many advantages, but also some disadvantages
Despite the significant advantages that LiDAR systems can offer in combination with other components, there are also some disadvantages. The technology is (still) quite expensive and for this reason is currently only found (on the road) in luxury cars, so-called robotaxis and other expensive vehicles (on the water: especially on larger commercial vessels), but prices are currently falling steadily and will make the systems affordable for sports and leisure skippers in the foreseeable future.
In relation to radar, the LiDAR system has only a limited range: while some LiDARs can only “see” 200-300 meters, radar can detect obstacles over a distance of several kilometers. Furthermore, there are still problems at high speeds: long-range LiDARs are currently still very expensive and also require more powerful lasers.
Finally, fog, snow and rain can interfere with the laser reflection and thus affect accuracy; dust and dirt can also cause inaccurate data.
The complex data processing was also still a problem, at least in the recent past: after all, a LiDAR generates huge amounts of data that require a powerful AI and very high computing power, which sometimes led to latency problems in real-time processing.
LiDARs can damage smartphone cameras, especially certain iPhone models
One as-yet unresolved negative effect of LiDAR is that under certain circumstances, this particular laser can damage smartphone cameras, especially certain iPhone models.
Apple introduced LiDAR in its products in 2020. It was first found in the iPad Pro tablet, later in the iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max smartphones, and now in the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max (in these devices, LiDAR is located near the rear cameras, specifically in the lower right corner of each). The new iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max also have LiDAR again.
The problem: the laser energy can permanently destroy pixels, and users have also reported permanent reddish spots and dark stripes, each after photographing or filming – operational – LiDAR sensors.
Therefore, be careful: if you want to photograph a LiDAR system installed on a boat, you should never hold your smartphone directly in front of the active device. Instead, you should make absolutely sure that the system is either switched off or that a protective filter or suitable infrared shield is used when photographing / filming. Incidentally, this applies to all types of LiDARs, including those in autonomous or semi-autonomous cars, or cars that are currently being prepared for this.
