WBUR Newsroom: Scientist Ross Eaton on using AI to look for endangered whales
Autonomous Lookout System
Maintaining proper lookout is essential for ships and uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs). Operational safety and regulations demand it.
Awarion is an Al and computer vision system that complements and supports human lookouts and marine radar systems. Awarion uses electro-optical and infrared video streams to detect, analyze, and report on the presence of whales, ships, and other objects, including fishing buoys and equipment.
Sensing for situational awareness
Human lookouts can suffer from fatigue and distraction. They require accommodations and resources.
Awarion’s algorithms never tire. They perform advanced analyses, including trajectory modeling and threat assessment. They transfer lookout duties from scattered watchpoints directly to the bridge.
Seeing what radar can’t see
Electro-optical and infrared (EO/IR) methods provide much greater detail and resolution than radar. With EO/IR, Awarion can see what radar can’t see, such as a whale blow or surfacing, and can perform object classification. These capabilities are critical to enabling true USV autonomy.
Seeing what radar can’t see
Electro-optical and infrared (EO/IR) methods provide much greater detail and resolution than radar. With EO/IR, Awarion can see what radar can’t see, such as a whale blow or surfacing, and can perform object classification. These capabilities are critical to enabling true USV autonomy.
Performance Metrics
In testing on real-world data with targets at ranges up to 3 km
Ships
Whales
Ship Classification
Flexible Configuration
Situational Awareness Analytical Software
The Awarion product consists of a core software component, which can be delivered as a standalone product or as part of an integrated camera system.
Smart Camera with Optional Pointable Mount
We offer a single, pointable camera designed to regularly sweep 360 degrees and autonomously deliver follow-up observations.
Processing Hardware
You can connect your own camera(s) to our processing hardware.
Fixed Camera Array
Multiple cameras with fixed views can have their output combined to form a 360-degree view.
Charles River Analytics provides scientific research services and technological advances in autonomous systems, including Awarion for marine perception. Awarion is an integrated software and hardware smart camera system that delivers situational awareness at the sea surface, detecting and classifying whales, ships, fishing buoys, and obstacles and performing threat assessment.
System requirements
Awarion hardware supports standard Ethernet connections.
Awarion software runs in Docker containers with Robot Operating System (ROS) and RabbitMQ messaging.
Learn more about sensing for
situational awareness
Autonomy you can trust
Charles River Analytics uniquely combines agile innovation and leading-edge research with a decades-long track record of hardened engineering in austere environments to create best-in-class solutions to diverse, challenging problems.
For more information
On sales and licensing, or to connect with our engineers, contact
Elaine B. Coleman, Ph.D.
Vice President of Commercialization
ecoleman@cra.com
617.234.1508
