Orca AI has expanded the capabilities of its situational awareness platform to deliver a 360-degree Field of View (FOV) around a vessel to support improved collision prediction and autonomous navigation.
The system is powered by three SeaPod lookout units, each fitted with thermal and optical cameras. Working together, these units provide continuous coverage around the entire perimeter of a vessel to allow bridge teams to detect overtaking vessels and piracy threats while overcoming line-of-sight limitations caused by deck equipment such as cranes and wind rotor sails.
The company said that it has seen demand for full-surround awareness increase as navigators seek better visibility in dense traffic and in areas where radar can struggle to track small, fast-moving craft.
“A full 360° FOV represents a meaningful step forward in providing unmatched situational awareness for vessels operating in increasingly complex navigation environments,” said Dor Raviv, CTO And Co-founder of Orca AI.
“It is also a foundational requirement for enabling safe autonomous operations, with Orca AI building the practical foundations of autonomy. A 360° FOV is a critical part of this effort, which will expand beyond 360-degree computer vision and AI-based situational awareness to include machine-learning capabilities for predictive insights and voyage optimisation.”
The Orca AI platform is currently installed on approximately 1,000 vessels worldwide, with a further 1,500 vessels under contract. The technology previously supported the first commercial autonomous voyage in 2022 in partnership with The Nippon Foundation and is now being used within the next phase of the Designing the Future of Full Autonomous Ships (DFFAS+) initiative.
