The Smart Ships Coalition will convene at Michigan Tech’s Great Lakes Research Center (GLRC) for a workshop on September 15-16. Located on the campus waterfront, this center is home to the Marine Autonomous Research Site (MARS), the world’s first freshwater test bed.
Technology is creating new ways of navigating waterways, but policy has not kept up. Experts around the Great Lakes and around the world are working together to tackle uncharted territory for autonomous and intelligent ocean systems.
Travis White, a GLRC research engineer who manages and coordinates the coalition’s efforts, said between 50 and 75 Smart Ships Coalition participants are expected to attend the workshop. This event is a great opportunity to learn more about the coalition and test sites or testbeds available to companies, research institutes, government agencies and others interested in surface and underground self-driving vehicles and related technologies. And thanks to the sponsorship of the Office of the Great Lakes and Great Lakes Conservation Fund in Michigan, there is no entry fee.
Sign up for the smart ship workshop
The September 15-16 workshop will be open to anyone interested in maritime mobility related to autonomy, artificial intelligence, computing, cyber systems, ethics, machine learning, policy, robotics, workforce development or related fields. It is intended for people with
Registration for the workshop is open until Wednesday, August 31st.
Register for the workshop.
“Panel and working group discussions are a big driver of the workshop,” White said. “We want all participants to actively engage in topics that are of interest to them and important to their organization.”
Automated, autonomous ships and ship technology are here, not on the horizon. And they have a direct impact on global supply chain issues and the development of the new energy economy. Considering how smart technology will affect design, operations, safety, security, training and workforce includes developing a regulatory framework.
“Autonomy may be one way to move goods safely and efficiently,” says White. “Everything we do here can be applied on a national scale. We can move from piloting to scaling up. But technology is overtaking regulation. We can help industry work with governments.At workshops, coalition members are divided into working groups to identify priorities and next steps to address.”
Opportunity ship launch from MTU dock
The GLRC’s location on the Keweenaw Peninsula in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is an ideal test bed due to its access to a diverse marine environment. The Kiweenaw Waterway offers urban and industrial environments of varying depths, with a mix of man-made confines and natural lakes, bays and rivers. Lake Superior presents deep sea conditions free of salinity, tides and mammals, complete with commercial shipping lanes and a rugged, undeveloped coastline. The test bed’s 30-mile radius is free of obstacles encountered in congested or populated waters, such as manatee zones and waters with heavy commercial and recreational traffic. “We can provide specific obstacles for testing purposes,” White said. “We do so in such a way that the interactions are more controlled and less random.”
“We welcome people who need a place to innovate on the water and experiment in a safe and controlled environment. We have the local knowledge and experience,” White added. His Tech graduate of 2011 holds his Master of 50 Ton U.S. Coast Guard Captain license and is a professional fishing guide well versed in the whimsical atmosphere of Superior. With the help of MTEC SmartZone, Mr. White has applied that knowledge and passion to the development and marketing of his ProNav Marine, his system of smart GPS-guided autopilots.
“This is the best place in the country to test this technology. Michigan Tech has a unique environment, accessibility and extensive support resources.”
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About the Great Lakes Research Center
The Great Lakes Research Center at Michigan Technological University, co-founder of the Coalition and host of the testbed, is taking on the challenge of becoming a leader in the development and research of autonomous and intelligent ocean systems. This process is based on achieving a reliable level of control. For example, operate an autonomous waverunner with multiple checks and balances and add more intelligent systems to the platform.
GLRC’s potential R&D areas range from aquaculture and offshore renewable energy to maritime surveillance and shipping. White said the team’s current interests include avoiding waves. This includes accurately reading and reacting to sea conditions in the Great Lakes to keep ships safe in rough seas. Thanks to a connected and growing network of smart buoys and the first high-frequency radars deployed on the Great Lakes, White said, we have ample current data on wave heights and directions. “As far as I know, no one has worked so far on breaking waves.”
GLRC researchers, who often refer to Keweenaw as a “drivable Arctic,” are also considering “winter hardening” the autonomous system for greater durability for year-round use in arctic-like environments.
“Developing autonomy in our backyard is ideal. We are always willing to work with academic, government and industry partners.”
GLRC leverages the interdisciplinary expertise of biologists, geologists, chemists, engineers, and remote sensing specialists to explore key questions in freshwater research. This includes modeling to improve projections and climate projections, and assessment of the spread of invasive species.
GLRC does a lot of work in, in and under the waters of the Great Lakes using the latest technology. Home to Superior Supercomputers, MARS, Smart Ships Coalition, and MTU surface and underground research vessels.
Other current projects include joint research with the Mackinac Economic Alliance and Mackinac Marine Services, revealing the potential for electrification of the Mackinac Island ferry. The center is also investigating the use of machine learning and artificial intelligence to automate the detection and recognition of underwater targets, including shipwrecks.
Michigan Technological University is a public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, Michigan, with over 7,000 students from 55 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the nation’s best universities for return on investment, the university excels in science and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business and economics, the medical profession, humanities, mathematics, and social sciences. It offers over 125 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. and art. The rural campus is just a few miles from Lake Superior in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and offers year-round outdoor adventure opportunities.
