The power of AI for autonomous surface collision avoidance

Seawork 10th - 12th June 2025	Speed@Seawork 9th June 2025	Get Set for Workboat 2050

The 26th edition of Europe’s largest commercial marine and workboat exhibition provides businesses the opportunity to showcase their services, equipment, vessels and supplies to an international audience.	Speed@Seawork on 9th June in Cowes offers a sector specific event that showcases fast vessels operating at high speed for security interventions and Search & Rescue.	The Commercial Marine Network, in partnership with Seawork and Maritime Journal, introduce Series 3 of ‘Get set for Workboat 2050’. An online conference series of expert panels navigating the waters of decarbonisation compliance and looking at practical applications across the workboat industry.
Visit the Seawork Website	Speed@Seawork on the Seawork Website	View on Commercial Marine Network

Robosys and SEA.AI have combined their expertise to create a first of-its-kind machine vision-based maritime autonomous surface collision avoidance system.

Robosys-SEA-AI-Voyager-Screenshot

Source: Robosys

Integration of Robosys’ Voyager AI navigation software with SEA.AI’s Sentry enables vessels to benefit from pioneering obstacle and collision avoidance

Developed for an Indian shipping operator operating in the Mumbai region, this is the world’s first commercial vessel to feature this integrated ’perception system’ to support both crewed and uncrewed operations.

“In 2022 Robosys and SEA.AI first identified the need to provide the additional optical reassurance to crewed and uncrewed vessels, through providing the visual aspect of watchkeeping, thereby supporting COLREGS Rule 5 Visual Lookout, without fatigue and enhanced consistency,” said Nigel Lee, CSO, Robosys.

”It is great to experience the first vessel now utilising this unique and essential solution, which will contribute to helping create safer seas and potentially save lives.”

Intelligent navigation

Integration of Robosys’ Voyager AI intelligent navigation software together with SEA.AI’s Sentry enables vessels to benefit from a pioneering obstacle and collision avoidance that is further enhanced by non-fatigue optical algorithms.

The Robosys-SEA.AI’s systems integrate via software interfaces to provide early alerts to crews and remote operation hubs regarding objects on the surface of the water.

The integrated SEA.AI machine vision system analyses all the pixels coming from the set of thermal and low light cameras to detect and assess the level of risk of the floating objects around the vessel, including those that are not obvious when using conventional systems such as Radar or AIS.

Voyager AI fuses the machine vision’s target data with other track sources such as from Radar and AIS and then either recommends or manoeuvres the vessel taking in to account all navigation, shipping and ENC hazards.

Whilst the machine vision system primarily enhances safety, situational awareness and surveillance for commercial vessels and motor yachts, Voyager AI itself also brings wider benefits such as improved fuel efficiency through smart path planning.

Installation of the integrated Robosys’ Voyager AI and SEA.AI’s system is now complete, with the first vessel due to start sea trials.