As with so many things in life, two small words got the DLBA Naval Architects team thinking recently: what if. Specifically, what if artificial intelligence (AI) could positively impact yacht systems and operations, and therefore the crew’s and owners’ life aboard? The team is no longer wondering. DLBA Naval Architects is actively developing the Tempo yacht concept with an eye toward wherever AI can heighten the superyacht experience.
Already, the design and engineering studio has researched autonomous vessels. In fact, unmanned vessels have already been on the world’s oceans, for military and commercial purposes, for years. This research led DLBA Naval Architects to develop relationships with traditional and not-so-traditional technology partners, to push boundaries appropriately. For the Tempo yacht concept, a 190-footer (58-meter), the studio certainly sees navigation autonomy possibilities. “Autonomy” does not mean without a crew, however. Rather, the Tempo yacht concept would transfer the bulk of the navigational workload to AI-coordinated data. AIS, electronic charts, GPS, radar, video cameras, and more would feed sensors, and the yacht would react accordingly. This, in turn, would allow a captain or other crewmember to be more situationally aware especially in highly trafficked waters or open seas.
The Tempo yacht concept would also employ AI to monitor and activate mechanical and electrical systems. For example, pumps would start and stop automatically, and system faults would receive instant troubleshooting. Speaking of faults, real-time monitoring of all systems would lead to machine learning to predict issues ahead of time. Therefore, it’s less work for the engineering team, and should further mean less yacht downtime—and more enjoyment.
Finally, DLBA Naval Architects sees strong potential for AI-led cybersecurity for the Tempo yacht concept. For instance, many breaches stem from operator error—say, a crewmember or guest using weak passwords or clicking links they shouldn’t. The design studio is exploring autonomous hardware and software solutions with stronger resistance to vulnerabilities and intrusions.
While the Tempo yacht concept is an ongoing project, the studio is keen to collaborate with owners seeking a more advanced approach.
DLBA Naval Architects dlba-inc.com
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