While self-driving cars have made significant progress in the market in 2021, autonomous boats have not.
At the upcoming CES 2022 show, Avikus, a subsidiary of South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries Group, will showcase a leisure cruising self-driving boat which recently completed a 6 mile journey with 12 passengers on board in Pohang City, South Korea.
The autonomous navigation technology was designed by Avikus and has been proven in tight quarters with crowded ports. The technology is expected to help reduce risks of unexpected adverse weather conditions, strong currents and other leisure and fishing boat traffic.
The company is planning a transoceanic voyage of a large merchant ship relying on its autonomous navigation technologies by the first half of 2022.
"By applying autonomous navigating technology to leisure boats, users can greatly reduce the time required for berthing and docking as well as the risk of accidents during operation,” said Do-hyeong Lim, CEO of Avikus. “Especially given the fact that people usually sail a boat and anchor at a certain place for a certain time before returning, they will have a strong desire to return comfortably using the autonomous driving system."
Avikus will be showcasing its self-driving boat at CES 2022 taking place in Las Vegas on January 5-8.
