ABS and U.S. shipping and logistics company Crowley signed an agreement to jointly explore the application of visualization technologies in both augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) environments, according to ABS's release.
The new partnership agreement builds on Crowley’s augmented reality technology used in select vessels where crew use wearable technology to provide video and remote access at 360-degree views of ship equipment. That technology, through Kognitiv Spark, allows mariners and shoreside crew to more quickly complete maintenance, updates and upgrades on board with real-time, digital collaboration.
By working together, ABS and Crowley can advance existing research that each has conducted independently. The joint pilot project will center around class-related survey support activities such as aspects of annual and special surveys including task crediting, along with a variety of scenarios involving surveyors, engineers and back-office survey support, virtual walkthroughs and livestreaming utilizing fully remote and hybrid survey techniques.
Crowley owns and operates a diverse U.S. and foreign flag fleet that includes, container, roll on/roll off (RoRo), tug, dry cargo and offshore wind development and service operation vessels.
AR technologies are also part of a new series of research projects ABS is funding at Texas A&M University that are underway. The basis of the AR research is to understand and characterize the safety implications of wearables aboard vessels and in offshore environments to be investigated in partnership with the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES).