Driverless ferries to replace footbridges

Multiple sensors provide safety
Phase one of the Autoferry project was to monitor boat traffic in the canal. In phase two, a half-scale ferry (five meters) was built, and the propulsion systems, batteries and charging systems were tested. Researchers are also working on developing navigation systems and automatic docking, as well as testing anti-collision sensors.

The phase three launch is imminent and will involve putting the full-scale ferry into action and fine-tuning the technology.

“We’re using four different sensors: radar, an infrared camera, an optical camera and LIDAR (Light Detection And Ranging – optical laser measurement). This will be a robust system of sensors that complement each other and provide a good overview,” says Edmund Brekke, associate professor at NTNU’s Department of Engineering Cybernetics.

Sensors on land too
“One of the challenges of the project is th at all these systems need to work well together. We also want to have sensors on land that can monitor blind zones,” adds department head Morten Breivik, who is directing the Autoferry project.

The Autoferry project – autonomous all-electric passenger ferries for urban water transport – involves expertise from various disciplines. The project has now received funding for six PhD positions and is in the process of hiring candidates for these posts. About thirteen master’s students are already part of the project, as well as 19 NTNU researchers who are connected to Autoferry as supervisors.

As easy as taking the elevator
The project is managed from Trondheim, where the ferry prototype is located, but NTNU in Ålesund and NTNU in Gjøvik are also involved.

Providing a good user experience is one aspect that the researchers will focus on now in the final part of phase two, as well as in phase three. The driverless ferry will be on-demand and user-controlled by users pressing a call button. Passengers have to experience using an autonomous ferry as being just as safe and easy as taking the elevator.

Cyber security is another aspect of the project– researchers need to eliminate the possibility of the ferry being hacked.

Can the ferries revitalize small island communities?

Several other countries have clearly expressed their desire for driverless ferries.

In cities, the autonomous ferries could connect to a city’s existing transport systems and offer an eagerly anticipated emissions-free alternative form of transport.

The researchers also want the ferry technology to be scalable so that it can be used over longer distances and be useful in more rural areas. Running staffed ferries is expensive. Perhaps driverless ferries could revitalize small island communities?

Several Norwegian communities have announced their interest in the autonomous ferries, including the municipalities of Ballstad in Lofoten, Sandefjord, Drammen and Tønsberg. The University of South-Eastern Norway is working on creating a driverless ferry for use in Tønsberg, but NTNU is currently leading the race.

Useful for community planners
“NTNU has a large research environment and also maintains close contact with the relevant industrial expertise in Trøndelag county, which enables us to implement products faster than many other research locations,” says Eide.

“We believe that an industry will evolve from this project. The driverless ferries can become a new tool in community planners’ toolboxes, “ he says.

And, he adds, “if we succeed with everything we’ve set out to do, then there’s no doubt the market is there.”

The researchers point out that autonomous ferries are a dynamic solution that can be adapted to people’s user patterns. The world’s first autonomous passenger ferry may be in use as soon as sometime next year. This brand new NTNU technology, in the heart of Trondheim, could be the launching point for many more water-based public transport systems around the world.

— Read more about the driverless ferry project at: www.ntnu.edu/autoferry

Unni Skoglund is a Norwegian journalist and photographer. The article is published courtesy of Gemini, which publishes research news from NTNU: Norwegian University of Science and Technology and SINTEF