The Clean Autonomous Public Transportation Network (CAPTN) initiative's test vessel Wavelab can currently be seen regularly on the Kiel Fjord. The eye-catching catamaran is busy doing its rounds, manoeuvring and collecting data. Anschütz and the CAPTN project partners are using this data to advance autonomous navigation.
Rapid control prototyping allows innovations to mature in CAPTN
In order to research technologies for autonomous, safe and sustainable ferry transport, the Wavelab was built, and a unique test field was set up as part of the CAPTN funding projects. The Wavelab is monitored and controlled remotely from a remote operating centre at Anschütz, which is also where the data from the trials is collected. Anschütz uses the rapid control prototyping development methodology to enable innovations to mature more quickly.
“In the CAPTN initiative, we are bringing together the expertise and innovations of our project partners and putting them on the water under real conditions for the first time”, said Daniel Sommerstedt, Head of CAPTN Research Projects at Anschütz. “We can use this unique test field in Kiel to utilise an accelerated development methodology such as rapid control prototyping, which directly helps us to further develop technology.”
Rapid control prototyping is a method used in software development for embedded systems, particularly for the development of control systems in automation technology. In autonomous navigation research, the method is currently being used as part of the CAPTN initiative to improve the manoeuvrability of the Wavelab, among other things.
“In autonomous operation, optimised and precise control of the actuators by autopilots and speed pilots is very important”, said Sommerstedt. “It usually takes quite a long time from the development stage before we can test on board under real conditions and then use the findings for further development. New ideas can now be evaluated much faster and more efficiently on a real system, can then flow back into the development cycle, and later return on board in a mature state. Our customers will benefit from these findings soon.”
The aim of the next CAPTN project phase is to mature applied innovations and develop new functions that will improve navigation and situation analysis and make them more secure. This will involve manoeuvrability and new sensors as well as assistance systems such as automatic object recognition or collision avoidance. Software codes for these are currently being pre-developed and validated by navigators before they are tested in the field and optimised using rapidly collected real data.
CAPTN's vision is to develop autonomous, safe and sustainable public transport systems. The aim of CAPTN is to connect the eastern and western shores of the Kiel Fjord with autonomous, low-emission passenger ferries. A network of leading companies and universities is developing and researching the necessary technologies in a series of individual projects funded by the German Federal Ministry for Digitalisation and Transport.
Project partners include Anschütz GmbH, Addix GmbH, the University of Applied Sciences of Kiel, the University of Kiel (CAU), Research and Development Centre Fachhochschule Kiel GmbH, and the Science Centre Kiel GmbH.