The Oscar system, originally developed by French company BSB-Marine, now trades under the name Sea.AI and is now also available in a version for cruisers. The companies Pixel sur Mer, Sea.AI and Ensta Bretagne are continuing to develop the camera system for the Open 60 monohull class in order to warn skippers of flotsam during the upcoming Vendée Globe. The system was already installed in the masthead of some Imocas at the last Vendée. The hardware has only changed slightly since then, with thermal imaging and daylight cameras at the heart of the system. The new collaboration between the French tech companies has now focussed in particular on data processing, especially the training of artificial intelligence.
Sea.AI's sensors and software are related to the technology used for autonomous driving in the automotive sector. The camera system is mounted in the masthead, but the actual performance takes place in the real-time evaluation of the image data. The system is designed to recognise ships without AIS, people in the water and, in particular, flotsam, so-called UFOs (Unknown Floating Objects), and provide targeted warnings. Until now, the system was only available in a version for regatta yachts and was very expensive at 24,000 euros. There are now three variants: Sea.AI Competition for racers, Sea.AI Sentry for commercial shipping and Sea.AI Offshore, a variant for cruising boats. There are also further gradations within these categories, the cheapest of which is called Offshore One and costs €10,990. In 2019, the aim was to develop a cruising variant for €5,000, roughly the price of a radar system. The goal has not yet been achieved, but the price has more than halved since then.
Offshore One is designed to detect cargo ships on the horizon, yachts from a distance of 1,000 metres, small boats from 250 metres and people, buoys and smaller flotsam from 100 metres off the bow. The device weighs 900 grams and is connected to the on-board network via NMEA 2000. It is compatible with iOS, Android, B&G, Furuno, Garmin, Raymarine and Simrad.
The X-Yachts shipyard and Sea.AI also recently announced a partnership. This means that the intelligent collision avoidance system will now also be available as an option from the Danish shipyard at the customer's request.
