Rolls-Royce on Tuesday offered another glimpse into the future of unmanned shipping, revealing for the first time its vision for a land-based control center for the operation of autonomous ‘drone’ cargo ships. In photos and film released Tuesday, Rolls-Royce offers a vision in which a small crew of 7 to 14 people monitor and control the operation of a fleet of vessels across the world using interactive smart screens, voice recognition systems, holograms and surveillance drones to monitor what is happening both on board and around the ship. Image credit: Rolls-Royce Iiro Lindborg, General Manager, Remote & Autonomous Operations, Ship Intelligence, Rolls-Royce, said: “We’re living in an ever-changing world where unmanned and remote-controlled transportation systems will become a common feature of human life. They offer unprecedented flexibility and operational efficiency. Our research aims to understand the human factors involved in monitoring and operating ships remotely. It identifies ways crews ashore can use tools to get a realistic feel for what is happening at sea.” Rolls-Royce says the film, which we have provided at the bottom of the article, marks the final stage of research that will inform the design and […]
