Maritime Tactile Interface for Low-Visibility Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Maritime navigation is hindered by impaired visibility, environmental factors, and dynamic obstacles, leading to reduced situational awareness and potential deviations from the intended course, with existing visual assistance systems failing to provide effective support in challenging conditions.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method using a tactile interface device with actuators integrated into wearables like life vests or fixed positions on vessels, providing tactile stimuli to convey environmental information, such as obstacle locations and vessel states, independent of visual and auditory modalities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If visual assistance systems are used to provide environmental information to the operator, then information delivery is achieved, but visibility issues and competition with other visual requirements impair effectiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces visual information delivery systems with a tactile interface device that uses mechanical actuators to deliver environmental information through tactile stimuli. The device comprises multiple actuators arranged on a surface that can be contacted by the operator, converting visual data into tactile feedback that is independent of visual conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The tactile interface device acts as an intermediary between the environmental data and the operator, translating visual or digital information into tactile sensations. The actuators serve as mediators that convert electronic signals into physical contact sensations, allowing information transfer without relying on visual modalities.
2Reliability
If the operator monitors the environment continuously to maintain situational awareness, then safety is improved, but the operator cannot perform other tasks simultaneously
Solution Approach 1:
The tactile interface device segments environmental information into distinct tactile signals delivered to different locations on the operator's body. Each actuator can provide independent tactile feedback about specific environmental aspects, allowing the operator to receive multiple types of information simultaneously without needing to divide visual attention.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from two-dimensional visual monitoring to multi-dimensional tactile perception by distributing actuators across a surface that contacts multiple body areas. This spatial distribution of tactile feedback allows the operator to perceive environmental information across different body zones simultaneously, enabling multi-tasking while maintaining awareness.
3Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If visual assistance systems are deployed to detect hazards, then hazard detection capability is provided, but the systems themselves suffer from visibility issues and fail to provide improvement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces visual hazard detection display systems with a tactile interface that delivers hazard information through mechanical actuators. The system maintains the hazard detection capability while substituting the visual feedback mechanism with tactile feedback, making the detection system immune to visibility conditions.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a computer-implemented method for assisting a person in operating a marine vessel. The method comprises steps of obtaining information on an environment of the marine vessel to determine at least one event, state or entity; acquiring position and orientation information of the marine vessel, and determining a relative position of the determined event or object, relative to the marine vessel, determining first spatial signaling information based on the relative position, and acquiring position and orientation information of a tactile interface device comprising actuators arranged in contact with the assisted person; and computing second spatial signaling information by converting the first spatial signaling information based on the orientation information of the marine vessel and the tactile interface device, and generating control information for the tactile interface device and outputting, via the tactile interface device, the computed second spatial signaling information to the assisted person.