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Increasingly, innovations involving onboard electronics and technology are being presented not at boat shows, but at shows involving tech and innovations. Samsung has chosen the world’s most important of these shows, the CES 2025 (Consumer Electronic Show) in Las Vegas, to present to the public its application of artificial intelligence to boating. Perhaps not everyone knows that Samsung has a business branch called Samsung Heavy Industries that is one of the largest shipyards in the world and deals with large transport ships and platforms. The all-in-house collaboration between the two South Korean companies Samsung Electronics (the one we know for smartphones, televisions, washing machines…) and Samsung Heavy Industries has resulted in the first product designed specifically for boating.
Truth be told, last November Samsung had already launched SHIFT-Auto, an experimental catamaran for transporting up to 12 people designed to be fully automatic, from leaving port to sailing to docking. However, this new step forward marks the beginning of a more precise strategy aimed at taking a slice of the market in onboard home automation.
Samsung’s solution relies on its proprietary SmartThings platform, already known and appreciated in the world of home appliances and home automation, using the standard for home automation connectivity called Matter. To wit, it is the system that allows Samsung-branded appliances in the same home and connected to home WiFi to “talk” and exchange information with each other, while also providing the ability to control them directly from your smartphone. The nautical application of this technology is called SmartThings for Ships and is a centralized “brain” capable of processing all together the different sensors distributed on the boat and controlling different utilities and appliances. This system can control interior and exterior lights, air conditioning and heating systems, televisions and audio systems for entertainment, video cameras, and more. Additional function is real-time monitoring of critical parameters such as engine temperature, fuel levels and battery status, air quality to also provide predictive analytics to anticipate mechanical failures and schedule maintenance. This system is designed primarily to improve safety and comfort while underway, with options designed especially for large vessels and special functions for captains and passengers.
On the commanders‘ side, for example, it offers the ability to create different scenarios by automating a whole range of operations such as starting engines, setting a comfortable temperature and light level, checking alarms, and completing the pre-departure checklist. This makes it possible to speed up the operations that need to be done before setting sail safely and with greater ease. Another scenario that can be created is one that saves fuel while at anchor, optimizing the operation of generators and appliances based on the actual need on board, or one that constantly monitors and alerts the crew to any abnormal activity.
For passengers, on the other hand, there is, for example, the ability to access a variety of useful information in navigation by simply scanning a QR code when boarding. From there one will have access to control of on-board equipment (TV, sound systems, air conditioning, lights) and information on where one is, departure and arrival times, temperature on board and any security alarms on board.
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