Fraunhofer CML

On October 29 and 30, 2024 MTEC/ICMASS 2024 took place in Trondheim - and we were represented by 7 colleagues giving lectures there. For all those who did not make it to Norway or would like to read the papers presented, we introduce them here.   Number 7, provided by Igor Bačkalov from DST - Development Centre for Ship Technology and Transport Systems: Small inland waterways offer considerable capacity for modal shift of cargo transport. Revitalization of smaller inland waterways, however, may require new vessel designs as most of the existing small vessels are outdated and incompatible with the present state of the technology development and the current commercial and regulatory requirements. This paper "Impact of automation and zero-emission propulsion on design of small inland cargo vessels" https://lnkd.in/d66XRtpU investigates the possibilities for modernization of small inland vessel designs and offers a systematic analysis of impact of "automation" and "zero-emission propulsion technology" on reference designs of standard European inland cargo vessels of CEMT classes I, II, III, and IV. The adopted level of automation enables the vessels to be remotely operated without human crew onboard, whereas the adopted zero-emission propulsion concept is based on electrification of the powertrain. The paper identifies the impacts of the modernization on general arrangement, cargo capacity, safety, structural design, etc. and indicates the vessel classes which could be the most promising candidates for the design of a future small autonomous inland ships. Another author from Fraunhofer CML ist Hans-Christoph Burmeister. #ICMASS #AUTOFLEX #inlandwaterways

On October 29 and 30, 2024 MTEC/ICMASS 2024 took place in Trondheim - and we were represented by 7 colleagues giving lectures there. For all those who did not make it to Norway or would like to read the papers presented, we introduce them here. Stay tuned!   Number 6, provided by Sharmistha Bhattacharya from Fraunhofer FKIE: Task-oriented navigation and ship handling systems An increasing number of digital systems are used on board ships to transmit information on ship operation, navigation, communication and safety. This results in an increasing workload for the crew because more systems do not automatically improve situational awareness. This situation is investigated in BEYOND: A test methodology for the investigation and evaluation of maritime HMI (Human-Machine-Interface) is developed in a new simulation-based test environment to be created. It is used to research, develop and evaluate the implementation of innovative HMIs for route monitoring and collision avoidance and to derive best practices for navigation systems based on classical screen technology. In addition, novel interaction and visualization technologies such as augmented or virtual reality for shore-based monitoring and decision-making systems is investigated in the test environment. Together with Fraunhofer CML, Fraunhofer FKIE works in this challenging project. Learn more about actual developments in the paper “BEYOND – Building an Experience to Yield Optimal Nautical Displays – Measuring Nautical Situation Awareness” https://lnkd.in/daRDFrYJ by Sharmistha Bhattacharya from FKIE: “BEYOND offers a validated method for testing maritime HMIs focusing on situation awareness. It aids system training & standardization, and is relevant to HMI developers, testers & educators. Future work includes refinement for improved assessment.” Further authors of the paper are Anastasia Schwarze, Robert Grundmann, Hari Sundar Mahadevan, Stephanie Hochgeschurz and Florian Motz. #Fraunhoferfkie #HMI #maritimeinnovation #situationalawareness #ICMASS

On October 29 and 30, 2024 MTEC/ICMASS 2024 took place in Trondheim - and we were represented by 7 colleagues giving lectures there. For all those who did not make it to Norway or would like to read the papers presented, we introduce them here. Stay tuned!   Number 5, provided by Yasemin Derin from Institute of Maritime Logistics - Hamburg University of Technology: How to optimize nautical services in port? Key insights from global knowledge Global carbon dioxide emissions are forecast to increase by around 15 % by 2050 compared to 2020. To move towards a sustainable transition to net zero emissions by 2050, more energy-efficient operations are a prerequisite. In response, terminals are looking for ways to optimize port processes to reduce energy consumption while also keeping waiting time and costs low. This paper focuses on optimization approaches for the individual actors in the nautical service that can support these objectives. A comprehensive review, classification, and discussion of relevant literature on current methods and procedures for the stakeholders of the nautical service is conducted. In this regard, current challenges and limitations are identified. The objective is often to reduce costs and increase safety in the port area. For this purpose, mathematical approaches or various types of algorithms are usually applied. Future research activities could be based on more detailed analyses of the approaches used in the identified papers. This paper “The art of orchestrating nautical services in a port call: A literature classification” https://lnkd.in/dzQqBzxC is directly related to the ongoing EU project DYNAPORT. The objective is to increase the efficiency of shipping and nautical safety to achieve a significant and sustainable reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. As part of this, the Institute of Maritime Logistics - Hamburg University of Technology is developing a blueprint for the optimization of port call processes. In this paper, optimization approaches of nautical services were identified, considering various objectives. The paper by Yasemin Derin, João Pedro Oberhauser Tavares Braga, Marvin K. and Carlos Jahn will be presented for the first time at MTEC/ICMASS 2024 in Trondheim (Norway). #mlstuhh #dynaport #nauticalservices #maritimeresearch #co2emissions #ICMASS

Today MTEC/ICMASS 2024 takes place in Trondheim - and we are represented by 7 colleagues giving lectures there. For all those who are not on site or would like to read the papers presented, we introduce them here. Stay tuned! Paper number 4 is provided by Thomas Stach: "A Formalism for Scalable Maritime Traffic Monitoring and Explainable Anomaly Detection and Resolution at Vessel Traffic Services" https://lnkd.in/ditWu4xZ Vessel traffic service (VTS) centres around the globe monitor and manage the ship traffic in their areas of responsibility and respond to arising unsafe or inefficient situations. Decision support tools (DST) help vessel traffic service operators (VTSO) to enhance their situational awareness and decision-making process, thus to recognise and assess dangerous situations. However, current DST have unsophisticated features and require manual configuration by the operator. Firstly, triggers for alerts are mostly based on the creation of geographical polygons for spatial-dependent assignment of rules, thresholds, ranges and limits for specific features. Secondly, calculations for the detection of safety-critical situations rely on measurements based on the closest point of approach (CPA) without taking contextual information into account. Thirdly, trajectory predictions are performed considering a constant velocity model (CVM) which does not depict reality. Due to these and other peculiarities, current DST are prone to false alerts. This results into a high workload where unsafe situations may be overlooked. In this paper, we propose a hierarchical formalism as foundation for an anomaly detection and resolution which generates less false alerts. The formalism consists of three hierarchical layers which represent, objects, measurements and situations. The formalism ensures adaptability and extensibility to various VTS areas and traffic patterns. Moreover, due to the given structure, the presented formalism is easily implementable, adaptable and scalable taking the currently available technological capabilities at VTS centres into account. We demonstrate the feasibility of this formalism by implementing a proof-of-concept and assessing it with realistic scenarios. Our implementation utilizes a rule-based system as central framework and it is configured through statistical methods, e.g. machine learning. Given this hybrid approach, the implementation provides reasonable and explainable results. This enables comprehensibility and verifiability by authorities and operators which is crucial for acceptance. Further authors of this paper are Manfred Constapel and Paul Koch. #ICMASS #VTS #maritimeresearch #anomalydetection

Offshore Hydrogen Production: Opportunities for Europe Tobias Reidl from the Fraunhofer CML has examined the role of renewable energy in Europe and its potential for offshore hydrogen production. Our comparison of different offshore configurations and analysis of current and future price indicators show that green hydrogen solutions can be made competitive in the next decades – an essential step toward sustainable industry and decarbonization. #FraunhoferCML #OffshoreHydrogen #RenewableEnergy #GreenHydrogen #EnergyTransition #Europe

Today MTEC/ICMASS 2024 takes place in Trondheim - and we are represented by 7 colleagues giving lectures there. For all those who are not on site or would like to read the papers presented, we introduce them here. Stay tuned! Number 3 is provided by Paul Koch: Ensure compliance with COLREGs for MASS The paper „Perform assessment of COLREGs onboard a maritime autonomous surface ship: Narrow Channels and Traffic Separation Schemes” https://lnkd.in/dVKkXpna deals with the operationalization of the collision avoidance rules COLREG, which goes beyond the pure consideration of ship-to-ship interactions and also works, for example, with ships sailing in traffic separation schemes. For this, it was necessary to develop a description that allows us to formalize how a ship moves within an area described by a nautical chart. For example, we can now say whether a ship is properly following a traffic separation scheme, crossing it or whether it is not traveling in accordance with the standard. This means that the COLREG rule 9 (Narrow Channels) and rule 10 (Traffic Separation Schemes) can be used in automated collision prevention or assessment. (earlier research can be found in the paper “On the implementation of a rule-based system to perform assessment of COLREGs onboard maritime autonomous surface ships” https://lnkd.in/dph29Tdh ) Background to the research: For autonomous vehicles it is essential that they follow the COLREG just like their human counterparts. Unfortunately, the COLREG are originally written only for humans and a lot is not directly formalized and machine-readable. We have addressed this by formalizing them and thus making the COLREG machine-readable (at least a subset of it). Especially for Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS) this is a very important research topic that MUST be solved before we will have autonomous ships. The content of the paper is of particular interest to anyone involved in MASS development, as well as nautical administration. The author Paul Koch is a scientific researcher in the Maritime Informatics group of Fraunhofer CML. His focus is on the development of algorithms for autonomous navigation and traffic monitoring, particularly for “large ships”, i.e. merchant shipping. Paul is also involved in the B ZERO and LEAS projects with this focus. Further authors of this paper are Hans-Christoph Burmeister and Manfred Constapel. #COLREG #MASS #ICMASS

It’s a great pleasure to share that the 2nd project review for i-MASTER Horizon Europe has successfully concluded in Brussels! 🇧🇪🇪🇺 The insightful and reflective feedback from this and previous reviews has been invaluable, inspiring us to push the boundaries even further. Our focus remains on advancing the integration of learning analytics into the maritime domain, with more scientific prospects and research results ahead. Thanks to all partners, stakeholders and team members for the dedication and support for the past two years. Together, we are bringing breakthroughs to maritime education👨🏻🎓👩🏻🎓 UiT- The Arctic University of Norway University of Gothenburg University of South-Eastern Norway Fraunhofer CML Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute (VTI) Novia University of Applied Sciences Aboa Mare WU (Vienna University of Economics and Business) Follow us at i-MASTER Horizon Europe and visit imaster-project.eu to stay tuned for more exciting developments as we continue our mission. 🚢 Charlott Sellberg, Susan Harrington, Per Haavardtun, Morten Bustgaard, Ziaul H. Munim, Lokukaluge Prasad Perera, Franklin Nyairo, Robert Grundmann, Gesa Praetorius, Hans-Joachim Schramm, Sahil Bhagat ⚓️

Today and tomorrow MTEC/ICMASS 2024 takes place in Trondheim - and we are represented by 7 colleagues giving lectures there. For all those who are not on site or would like to read the papers presented, we introduce them here. Stay tuned! Number 2, provided by Nico Zantopp: “Lidar-Based Obstacle Detection and Path Prediction for Unmanned Surface Vehicles” https://lnkd.in/dqkNPj5M Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs) represent an advanced technology with a wide range of applications in maritime contexts, and they offer a promising alternative to manned systems, particularly for the provision of services such as riverbed mapping. Furthermore, the use of USVs in combination with other robotic systems, such as flying drones, remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs) and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), opens up innovative ways to inspect and monitor maritime infrastructure. However, the use of these systems in dynamic environments, such as ports or shipping lanes, requires a high degree of adaptability and precision in navigation to manoeuvre safely between other traffic participants and obstacles to prevent collisions. To address this problem, USVs require sophisticated perception systems for the precise detection and classification of nearby objects. Leveraging Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology, which is renowned for its efficacy in obstacle avoidance in robotics, this paper outlines the adaptation of a LiDAR sensor for USVs. The proposed pipeline enables the detection of other moving vessels and the accurate determination of their positions and trajectories up to 150 m from the USV. This paper introduces an obstacle detection system and validates it within a port setting. A methodical approach to LiDAR data preprocessing, clustering, and point cloud extraction will be outlined. Furthermore, it explores the application of an Unscented Kalman Filter (UKF) for the projection of motion paths of identified entities. This advanced form of data analysis provides the ability to predict the future position and path of potential obstacles, optimize decision-making for autonomous navigation algorithms and significantly improve the safety of USV operations. The pipeline is tested experimentally in sea trials by enacting five different scenarios that USV may encounter in a port setting. The results of the pipeline's tracking capabilities are compared to the ground truth data collected by the tracked vessel and plotted to visualize the error. Further authors are Akif Budak, Cosmin Delea, Herberto Werner, Andy Au and Johannes Oeffner. #ICMASS #unmannedsurfacevehicles #maritimeresearch

Today and tomorrow MTEC/ICMASS 2024 takes place in Trondheim - and we are represented by 7 colleagues giving lectures there. For all those who are not on site or would like to read the papers presented, we introduce them here. Stay tuned!   Number 1, provided by Hans-Christoph Burmeister:   The European Maritime Industry’s view on Autonomous Maritime Systems   Together with BM Bergmann Marine GmbH and Fraunhofer FKIE, the CML has produced the study “An emerging market? The European Maritime Industry's view on Autonomous Maritime Systems” https://lnkd.in/d7iBmxuX. More than 50 companies were surveyed on the topic. As a result of this unique survey, the developing market for maritime autonomous systems can be characterized, and market opportunities and barriers to entry be presented. The study, commissioned by the German Maritime Centre in Hamburg, provides an insight into current expectations and prioritized use cases for the autonomous maritime industry from an industry perspective. It thus sets guidelines for legal development, as the use cases identified there are the most urgent for the creation of a legal framework. It also identifies best practices in the introduction of this technology from other countries. The study is of particular interest to coastal states and ministry representatives in the International Maritime Organization; business developers at suppliers, ports and shipping companies. Hans-Christoph Burmeister is head of department “Sea Traffic and Nautical Solutions” at Fraunhofer CML and has been researching in the field of autonomous navigation for more than 10 years, both on technical and economic aspects of the new technologies. What he appreciates about his work at the CML, apart from his diverse tasks, is the proximity to the water. Further authors of the paper are Jonathan Weisheit, Julius Kuechle, Dr. Luka-Franziska B. and Michael Bergmann MBA FRIN AFNI.   #MASS #autonomousnavigation #maritimeindustry #ICMASS

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