On November 27, China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) announced the completion of the development of the world’s first medium-sized autonomous intelligent yacht “Smart Yacht 1”, which was independently researched, designed and built by CSSC. It marks the officially opening of a new era of R&D, design and construction for intelligent yachts by CSSC.
The yacht is independently developed and designed byShanghai Ship Research and Design Institute (SDARI), and built by Afai Southern Shipyard(Panyu Guangzhou) Ltd. (AFAI) a subsidiary of CSSC, and classified by China Classification Society (CCS), and the target waters are Hainan Province and Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao Bay Area.
With an overall length of 17.8 meters, a beam of 5.0 meters, a draught of 1.17 meters, a service speed of 16 knots, an aluminum alloy hull and three decks. The vessel features the world’s first intelligent navigation, intelligent cabin, intelligent security and intelligent operation and maintenance which is a pioneer in the yachting industry and brings a distinctive driving experience.
In terms of intelligent functions, the yacht is equipped with “three driving control modes + four intelligent functions” to fulfill the comprehensive needs of recreation and driving experience. The boat is equipped with three driving control modes, i.e. autonomous navigation, assisted driving and manual driving mode.
In autonomous navigation mode, it can realize autonomous route planning and autonomous cruising according to the set starting point. In the process of autonomous cruising, it can independently recognize dynamic and static targets at sea and perform autonomous collision avoidance according to the degree of risk encountered. During berthing and unberthing, it can independently identify the situation of the dock and cooperatively control the energy power system of the whole ship to realize autonomous unberthing and berthing. In the auxiliary driving mode, it can form auxiliary route planning and speed decision-making by fusing multi-source sensing information, and provide optimized suggestions for the driver’s control.
Moreover, the yacht is equipped with intelligent operation and maintenance function, which monitors and evaluates the health status of important equipment on board. Intelligent security functions are also set up to effectively enhance the safety and security capability of yacht operation through the adoption of intelligent means such as yacht perimeter monitoring and fire status monitoring of important premises. In addition, in order to enrich the marine life and entertainment experience, a variety of intelligent cabin theme modes have been set up, in which passengers can switch modes through tablet PCs, voice and cell phone APPs.
In terms of new technologies and materials, “Smart Yacht 1” adopts a carbon fiber flybridge roof and a self-developed deceleration gyro, which are independently developed and produced by the scientific research institutes of CSSC. The boat is equipped with two 441 kW high-speed main engines, two 15 kW axle belt generators, a 17.5 kW diesel generator, and in particular, a special set of 50 kWh lithium battery and shore power interface hybrid power system independently researched and developed by the scientific research institute under CSSC.
In terms of the artistic design of the exterior and interior, it brings together the excellent design concepts of the professional scientific research institutes of CSSC and famous foreign companies, and has the characteristics of “sunshine, elegance, modernity and simplicity”, which makes it not only a green and environmentally friendly and intelligent yacht, but also a modern medium-sized yacht with artistic ornamental, luxurious and comfortable features.
It is worth mentioning that the profile design, propeller design, ship model pool test, propeller bubble test, etc. of “Smart Yacht 1” are all carried out by the scientific research institutes of CSSC, which comprehensively verified its excellent speed, maneuvering performance and wave resistance.
During the research, design and construction of “Smart Yacht 1”, SDARI relied closely on the strong scientific and technological reserves and strength of CSSC to create new demand through high-quality supply, increase investment in scientific research to create new opportunities, and create new markets by developing the “CSSC Smart Yacht” with dedication.
The launch of the “Smart Yacht 1” has added a colorful touch to further enriching China’s yacht tourism market, meeting the people’s growing demand for a better life, and contributing to the high-quality development of China’s emerging marine economic equipment industry.