KEEPING WATCH THE AI WAY

Why SEA.AI's new virtual watchkeeper could be a game-changer for boat owners of all types and sizes

- WORDS: Hugo Andreae

What's your worst fear as a boater? Colliding with another boat? Hitting a semi-submerged log? Failing to spot an open-water swimmer? Getting entangled in a lobster pot? All of them could be catastrophic, yet it's easy to imagine it happening. However attentive we are, it only takes a momentary distraction or visibility compromised by low light, glare or rolling seas and before you know it, the unthinkable has happened.

The solution, according to SEA.AI, is a virtual watchkeeper that never sleeps, can't be distracted and uses artificial intelligence to recognise and alert you to any potential collision threats. It works by using a combination of super sensitive low light and thermal vision cameras to spot things in your path which even radar and AIS might miss. It then compares any floating object it detects to its database of over 18 million images of previously identified items and alerts the skipper with visual and audio alerts showing what the danger is and how urgent a threat it poses.

ROBOT VISION