07.11.2012 -
Making the user interface as simple as possible to make the many
cutting-edge technologies onboard yachts available to even the most
inexperienced user: this is the goal achieved by the industrial
research project Barcotica, thanks to an innovative data
integration platform that can concentrate all information
present on board - normally scattered among a series of complex,
heterogeneous systems - in a single, simple, and intuitive
interface.
Accessible from both the yacht's bridge and iPad, the platform
was presented this morning at Porto San Rocco in Muggia (TS). The
new Barcotica system visualizes in a single environment all
information present on onboard devices, helps the ship owner
choose the best port for refuelling, and whenever
the yacht's performance is negatively affected by the presence of
vegetation on the hull, it pinpoints the right time for dry
docking.
Barcotica is the fruit of the experience of Monte Carlo
Yachts in collaboration with the University of
Udine and Trieste's AREA Science Park di
Trieste and the participation of Teorema
Engineering and Eidon Kaires, two firms
specializing respectively in information technology and the design
and development of vision system. "We focused in particular on
making the boat more accessible - explains Fabrizio
Iarrera, CEO of Monte Carlo Yachts SpA. In the world of
luxury, where our ship owner's private life takes place, new
technologies and innovative elements are increasingly accessible.
In particular, I am referring to the ability to interact with one's
surroundings using tools such as smartphones, IPads, and similar
instruments. We have tried to adapt this as much as possible to a
leisure boat, by using a simple domotic interface to transfer some
of the ship owner's preferred systems, fittings, and ways of using
the boat".
The project also developed an innovative vision
system that can identify and report the presence of
semi-submerged objects at sea which are not picked
up by radar or echo sounding. The ability to see
semi-floating objects improves navigation safety and helps prevent
impacts that can have very serious consequences. This was the case
with Josh Hall, skipper of the "Gartmore", who sank after colliding
with a container, during the first leg of a solo trip around the
world several years ago. According to some estimates, over 10,000
containers are lost at sea every year. The vision device developed
by Eidon is thus an extremely useful innovation for the at-sea
safety of ships, yachts, and sailboats. Furthermore, another
achievement of the Barcotica project is the innovative technique to
reduce background noise developed by the University of Udine and
presented during the International Conference on Image
Processing, an international scientific conference dedicated
to image and video processing.
The Barcotica project is co-financed by POR FESR 2007-2013
Regione Friuli Venezia Giulia, Axis 1, Activity 1.1b