b'FOGHORN FOCUSMore Thanthe Eye Can SeeLOOKING AT AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS IN MARITIMESARAH FERRETTI// FOGHORNC rew on passenger vessels do an incredible job every day of run- for operators and identifying obstacles that humans or existing tech-ning safe operations, often in crowded waterways and facing anology may not detect.variety of weather conditions. However, there are times that hu-man error can lead to incidents and injury. Researchers and developersNorway has invested in a number of autonomous maritime projects. of autonomous technology for maritime industries aim to build systemsMost recently, two freight ferries were christened there this month and that can make the waterways safer for those aboard ships, as well as thosehave begun a two-year trial period with the goal of full certification for they share the water with.uncrewed operations. These ships will not carry passengers, but will transport freight trailers across the Oslo Fjord for a grocery operator. There have been growing global efforts to develop autonomous sys- During the trial period the vessels will be manned by four-person crews, temsforshipsinarangeofapplications.Completelyunmannedbut are designed to eventually sail completely unmanned, monitored vessels are one example of this technology in maritime. At this time,from shore. While many fully-autonomous vessels like this have been de-these are mostly found in and built for government, military, andveloped for shipping, there have been strides made to introduce the tech-shipping companies, though there is interest in adapting this technol- nology to the passenger ferry industry. A separate team in Norway has ogy for passenger vessels as well. There is also significant investmentbeen working on a prototype for a ferry to transport up to 12 passengers in developing ways that autonomous technology can aid crews onacross a canal that runs through the city of Trondheim. The ferry would fully-manned ships. An example is more advanced, intelligent sensorstake approximately one minute to make the crossing, saving people a which continually scan surroundings 24/7, gathering important data15-minute walk, and was developed as an alternative to constructing a FOGHORN 8'