The Role of Acoustic Situational Awareness in Autonomous Navigation
As maritime industries transition toward fully autonomous vessels, the accurate detection, localization, and monitoring of sound sources become critical for effective operation and safety management. Up until now, the industry has to some extent relied on personnel and their senses to navigate safely on the ocean. As we move toward full autonomy, these senses need to be replaced, including the auditory capability. From ferries to cargo ships and coastal freight transport, the ability to clearly understand auditory environments can dramatically improve operational effectiveness, reduce risks, and support the transition to autonomous navigation in maritime transport.
Superhearing: Advanced Acoustic Detection
The Squarehead microphone array combines an optical video camera with over a hundred acoustic microphones to deliver precise sound capture and analysis. Unlike single microphones that pick up sound indiscriminately, our array isolates specific sources while suppressing background noise—a capability we call superhearing.
This superharing capability enables operators to pinpoint the precise location and characteristics of acoustic events on the open sea, such as ship horns, alarm bells, a "man overboard" situation, a collision followed by ensuing "chaos," small boats with people shouting and screaming to get attention, with enough clarity and context for the operator to act on them appropriately.
This capability is crucial for autonomous navigation and safety in complex maritime environments, enabling autonomous vessels to simultaneously manage interactions with multiple vessels, navigational hazards, and operational events.
Squarehead’s microphone arrays provide operational confidence through continuous, real-time acoustic surveillance. Operators receive clear, actionable data integrated into existing systems, allowing them to trust and understand the vessel’s autonomous decisions, ultimately facilitating greater acceptance and adoption within the maritime community.
While radar excels in far-field monitoring, acoustics proves to be a powerful tool for near-field detection and a reliable sensor system, unaffected by obstacles like fog, heavy rain, low light, or physical obstructions that limit line of sight.
Why it matters
Achieving full autonomy in maritime operations demands innovative and reliable sensory technologies. Squarehead Technology’s microphone array systems represent a crucial step forward, offering advanced acoustic situational awareness. As maritime industries move toward autonomous operations, the implementation of advanced auditory perception technologies like those provided by Squarehead will be indispensable for operational efficiency.
