A boat, boat systems, and methods to determine when a water-sports participant has fallen. The boat may include an image sensor and an image processor communicatively coupled to the image sensor. The image sensor is configured to capture at least one image of the environment aft of the stern of the boat. The image processor is configured to execute a rider-down analysis that includes analyzing, using an object recognition process executed by the image processor, an image to be analyzed to determine if a water-sports participant has fallen. The boat may include a controller configured to execute a rider-down action when the water-sports participant has fallen. The controller may execute the rider-down action when the image processor determines that the water-sports participant has fallen based upon the rider-down analysis.

There is disclosed a method of removing underwater gas bubbles from underwater devices such as cameras, optical lenses, or domes comprising acquiring a camera image or a sequence of images, applying a computer vision algorithm for detecting bubbles that stick to underwater cameras, optical lenses or domes and vibrating a motor for a time period sufficient to remove the majority of the bubbles, and optionally repeating vibrating the motor until complete removal or dismissal of bubbles is achieved.

There is further disclosed a method of moving a moving element with respect to an underwater surface associated with an underwater acquisition device, wherein a motion of the moving element enables at least part of the moving element to interact with at least one of the surface or the underwater gas bubbles, thereby dismissing or removing underwater gas bubbles from at least part of the surface.

Corresponding systems are also disclosed.

A control device of a marine vessel includes a wireless master unit to wirelessly communicate with a wireless slave unit possessed or worn by a vessel operator, and a processor configured or programmed to function as a detecting unit to detect that an engaging portion of a lanyard connectable to a connecting portion provided on a hull of the marine vessel is detached from the connecting portion, an obtaining unit to obtain a physical quantity that indicates at least one of a rotation speed of a drive source that propels the hull and a vessel speed, a judging unit to judge a state of wireless communication between the wireless master unit and the wireless slave unit, and a control unit to control the drive source based on a detection result obtained by the detecting unit, the physical quantity obtained by the obtaining unit, and a judgment result obtained by the judging unit.

A system for detecting a man-overboard event, comprising a plurality of first computing units having at least one optical sensor with a predetermined detection range and a second computing unit connected to the plurality of computing units, characterized in that each first computing unit is designed, independently of the others, to evaluate the data sensed by the at least one optical sensor of the respective first computing unit to determine whether a man-overboard event is present on the basis of these data and, when a man-overboard event (event) is present, to report this to the second computing unit, wherein the second computing unit is designed to output an alarm and/or a control command to carry out a man-overboard manoeuvre.

An automatic watercraft maneuvering system includes a watercraft and a communication device.

A small watercraft system includes: a watercraft body; a watercraft body manipulation member through which a watercraft body manipulation command is input by an operator; a drive source that allows the watercraft body to plane; a steering device that allows the watercraft body to be steered; and a control device that controls the drive source and the steering device to operate the watercraft body. The control device determines whether a mode switching condition is satisfied, the mode switching condition including an operator's absence condition that the operator is absent from the watercraft body. Upon determining that the mode switching condition is satisfied, the control device executes an operator-absent manipulation mode in which the control device moves the watercraft body by controlling the drive source and the steering device based on an operator-absent manipulation command independent of the watercraft body manipulation command.

A geofenced autonomous aquatic drone for repelling sharks from a shoreline. The drone employs a buoyant housing resembling a portion of a predator such as an orca whale. A battery positioned within the drone is recharged through a floating inductive charging station. A transmitter unit coupled to at least one under water transducer introduces certain sounds, such as reproduction of orca whale or dolphin calling sounds. A propulsion system controlled a microprocessor receives location information via DGPS for providing a geofence around an area to be patrolled. The drone travels within the geofence area, monitored by the DGPS receiver, while said transducer produces certain sounds and or a solution of shark repellant is dispensed.

A geofenced autonomous aquatic drone for repelling sharks from a shoreline. The drone employs a buoyant housing resembling a portion of a predator such as an orca whale. A battery positioned within the drone is recharged through a floating inductive charging station. A transmitter unit coupled to at least one under water transducer introduces certain sounds, such as reproduction of orca whale or dolphin calling sounds. A propulsion system controlled a microprocessor receives location information via DGPS for providing a geofence around an area to be patrolled. The drone travels within the geofence area, monitored by the DGPS receiver, while said transducer produces certain sounds and or a solution of shark repellant is dispensed.

A signal device for maritime distress rescue and a surveillance device for maritime distress rescue are provided. The signal device for maritime distress rescue which is carried by a user aboard a vessel may include a first communicator configured to communicate with a surveillance device for maritime distress rescue of the vessel, a first position detector configured to generate first position information of the signal device at a predetermined time interval, and a first controller configured to receive second position information of the surveillance device from the surveillance device at a predetermined time interval and determine whether the first position information is within a safe area of the vessel that is set on the basis of the second position information. Accordingly, when a distress occurs, it is possible to transmit a distress signal without operating a switch while minimizing power consumption of the signal device.

A fluid pit safety system is disclosed to prevent drowning incidents in a fluid pit filled with a fluid. The system comprises a plurality of sensors spatially disposed adjacent the fluid pit, a perimeter detection sub-system defining a perimeter arranged around an edge of the fluid pit, and a rescue device arranged in the fluid pit. The plurality of sensors are configured to detect a change in fluid height in the fluid pit. The perimeter detection sub-system is configured to detect a disruption in the perimeter. The rescue device is configured to move towards a surface of the fluid in the fluid pit in response to the plurality of sensors detecting the change in the fluid height in the fluid pit and the perimeter detection sub-system detecting the disruption in the perimeter.