Objects drifting in the water, known as UFOs (Unknown Floating Objects), pose an enormous danger to sailing yachts. At the last Vendée Globe in 2016 alone, five of the eleven boats that were damaged collided with floating objects. The high speeds of the current racers cause major damage even when encountering relatively small obstacles. Comparatively slow cruising yachts are less at risk. But there are cases here too: in 2012, a Sweden Yachts 45 participating in the World ARC sank in the Indian Ocean after an unknown object collided with the rudder blade.
The Oscar system developed by French company BSB-Marine is designed to prevent such collisions. It is closely related to the technology used in the automotive industry for autonomous driving. A camera system mounted in the masthead monitors the sea area in front of the bow with two thermal imaging cameras and a daylight camera, creating a three-dimensional image. The data is analysed in real time by a computer and examined for possible obstacles using self-learning image recognition software. In order to assess whether a collision is imminent, the movement of the objects is also taken into account. If the software recognises a potential collision opponent, it sounds an alarm. Depending on the settings, the autopilot can also automatically take evasive action.
Oscar is available in two versions. The basic version is designed to work at boat speeds of up to 30 knots and can detect objects measuring one square metre at a distance of 75 metres. The top model is twice as sensitive and is designed to work at boat speeds of up to 40 knots.
The Oscar collision protection system
The system is currently in the beta test phase and is being used by several Imoca 60 teams, for example the spectacular foiler "Charal" skippered by Jérémie Beyou is equipped with Oscar. In practice, the system is said to have already detected net buoys from fishermen.
As promising as the technology sounds, so far Oscar is more suitable for professional teams than for touring skippers. The problem is the price: the thermal imaging cameras used are from Flir and are very expensive, so the cost is around 24,000 euros. By using a cheaper camera system, the manufacturer hopes to be able to reduce the price to around 5000 euros in the long term. This would put Oscar on a par with a conventional radar system.
Further information is available at: www.oscar-system.com
