An inland shore control centre for monitoring or controlling unmanned inland cargo vessels
Peeters, G.; Yayla, G.; Catoor, T.; Van Baelen, S.; Afzal, M.R.; Christofakis, C.; Storms, S.; Boonen, R.; Slaets, P. (2020). An inland shore control centre for monitoring or controlling unmanned inland cargo vessels. J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 8(10): 758. https://hdl.handle.net/10.3390/jmse8100758 In: Journal of Marine Science and Engineering. MDPI: Basel. ISSN 2077-1312; e-ISSN 2077-1312, more |   |
| Author keywords | inland; shore control centre; SCC; USV; ASV; unmanned; autonomous; cargo; vessel |
| Abstract | Augmenting the automation level of the inland waterway cargo transport sector, coupled with mechatronic innovation in this sector, could increase its competitiveness. This increase might potentially induce a sustainable paradigm shift in the road-dominated inland cargo transport sector. A key enabler of this envisaged shift may be an inland shore control centre (I-SCC) capable of remotely monitoring and controlling inland vessels. Accordingly, this study investigated the concept and design requirements to achieve an inland I-SCC that provides interaction services when supervising an unmanned surface vessel (USV). This I-SCC can help its operator to develop situational awareness and sensemaking. The conducted experiments offered insights into the performance of both the I-SCC system and its operator, and unlock research on the impact on ship sense and harmony when remotely controlling a USV. The Hull-To-Hull project extends the current I-SCC by providing enhanced motion control. This enhancement enables further performance insights and might improve the future monitoring of USVs. The successful I-SCC construction, the preliminary experiments, and the design-extension demonstrate that the I-SCC can serve as an experimental platform for both mechatronic innovation and human-automation integration research in the inland waterway sector, whilst additionally providing fruitful knowledge for adjacent research domains. |
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