AI Will Help Self-Navigating Ships Plot Their Ways, First Fleet Expected By 2025

If you have ever been on a ship, you might have realized navigation is the most technical and the most important part of sailing — a slight error in calculation might literally sink you. And such errors, in the past, have been caused mostly by humans. Japan has found a unique solution to the problem — self-navigating ships.

These “smart ships” will find the safest, shortest and most fuel-efficient routes using artificial intelligence (AI) and could be put into service by 2025. The AI tech is expected to make shipping safer by not just potting the course, but also detecting machinery malfunctions and other problems way in advance. Japanese companies such as Mitsui O.S.K Lines and Nippon Yusen are investing together in the technology, which is expected to cost millions of dollars to test and develop. The AI-driven system is expected to incorporate the Internet-of-Things (IoT) to get most of its devices online and to instantly gather and analyze important information such as weather data and obstacles at sea, which could help ship more efficiently. It could also lead to fully automated ships.

Read: Forget Self-Driving Cars, Autonomous Ships Are On The Way

The technology would also be included in new ship models. Since Japan has a head start on the technology, it could make the country’s shipping technology more competitive. If the venture succeeds, there is no doubt that the demand for the technology might emerge globally. According to Nikkei Asian Review, the technology might help Japan claim around 30 percent of the global shipping industry. Since many shipping companies are venturing together, it would create a large bank of shipping data, which would help advance the technology at as faster pace.

Most importantly, such technology would let ships accurately assess collision risks.

Japanese companies might not be only ones exploring this area of technology. The marine branch of carmaker Rolls Royce is also working on an autonomous shipping technology. Rolls Royce idea seems closer to the current way of testing self-driven cars. They might have the autonomous technology and run totally using systems like GPS, but there would be a human crew available to take over, in case the technology falters.

Read: Will Self-Flying Planes Be A Reality? NASA begins Formal Feasibility Studies

Autonomous technology has taken off since Google showcased its first autonomous cars in 2011. Ever since then, many tech companies ride-hailing services and auto companies have ventured into the technology. Self-driving cars are being tested in not just many cities across the U.S., but even in many countries across the world now and the technology is expected to become mainstream in the coming three years. Ships and cars are not the only means of transportation being explored, NASA is actually exploring the area of autonomous aviation — it has three teams of scientists working on self-flying planes.

There is still one question that remains unanswered though — what kind of security protocols would be placed on fully autonomous technology? This is an essential question that needs to be answered to develop public confidence in the technology.