January 18, 2019-Michigan Technological University is making autonomous boats a lot smarter. It’s got a tricked-out water scooter at the Detroit Auto Show that will let autonomous surface craft navigate rough seas much more efficiently. Read more here.
October 25, 2018-The fourth iteration of the Advanced Naval Technology Exercise took place in late August at Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport. As part of the event’s theme, “human-machine interaction,” researchers focused on increasing trust between operators and autonomous vehicles. As part of this event, members of industry, academia and the Navy experimented with unmanned underwater vehicles that officials believe could one day prove key in future naval skirmishes. Read more here.
October 17, 2018-The Department of the Navy released a request for information titled “Medium Unmanned Surface Vehicle (MUSV) Sources Sought”. MUSV’s are defined as vessels between 12 and 50 meters in length. NAVSEA seeks to leverage existing manned or unmanned surface ship designs that can be designed and/or modified to rapidly deliver an unmanned surface ship capability. Additional desired attributes of the MUSV are described in detail, and more information can be found here.
June 19, 2018 – The Smart Ships Coalition is pleased to announce a Launching Ceremony for the Marine Autonomy Research Site (MARS) and Smart Ships Coalition on Friday, August 10, 2018 to be held in Houghton, Michigan. This event is open to all members of the Smart Ships Coalition and other invited guests and will be hosted by the Great Lakes Research Center at Michigan Technological University. See the Save the Date Announcement to learn more–please RSVP by July 26, 2018.
February 6, 2018 – In a Michigan Radio interview with Michael Beaulac of the Michigan Office of the Great Lakes, Beaulac discusses the future of autonomous vessels and vehicles on the Great Lakes.
October 21, 2017 – Conference of Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers sign resolution for collaboration between the Marine Autonomy Coalition and the Norwegian Forum for Autonomous Ships launching the Smart Ships Coalition. The Smart Ships Coalition is a broad-band cooperative research and development support network to advance regional economy and technology adoption.
Smart Ships Coalition 