A navigation assist system having a plurality of navigation assist apparatuses installed on small boats like motorboats each fitted with an outboard motor to be able to navigate in a predetermined water area, and a server placed on land to communicate with the navigation assist apparatuses. Each of the navigation assist apparatuses detects a trim-up position of the outboard motor, adds the position to a danger level data downloaded from the server unit, and alerts an operator concerned when the boat approaches a region whose danger level is great.

The present disclosure discloses a system wherein coin-sized beacons can be attached to marine and other hazards such as buoys, shipwrecks, jetties and the like. The beacons can also be configured to a user's life jacket or other intimate item worn by divers or passengers. The beacon is equipped with an ability to emit sound/radio or light (Bluetooth or otherwise) waves that are detected by a user's receiving device hardware located aboard a vessel to alert the user of an approaching hazard. The signal can be configured to provide the location or distance and proximity to the vessel of the beacon and contact information of the beacon's registered owner. The beacon can continuously transmit these signals to alert oncoming vessels of the location of the beacon, or aid in the recovery of an overboard passenger or keep track of underwater divers. Further, the receiving device hardware can be adapted to a vessel's navigation system to automatically avoid marine hazards using the vessel's autopilot system.

The present invention provides an anchor alarm device which is a manually deployed weighted device attached to or near the anchor which signals to device equipment at water-level. The device detects the movement of, or physical force generated by, a dislodged anchor. When deployed, a component of the anchor alarm device rests adjacent to or as part of a seated anchor at a distance predetermined by the tolerance of the secondary rode. The secondary rode connects the device directly to the anchor, or near the anchor on the primary rode. Upon displacement of the set anchor, in excess of the secondary rode, the device alerts the user. The device utilizes sensor monitoring inside of a housing component to detect a force indicative of anchor displacement. This detection triggers a signals emission which alerts the user of the change in position. In cases wherein the anchor is not immediately retrieved, device re-arms autonomously and stops emission of the alarm signal until the next anchor displacement. The system communicates with signal devices on board or deployed near the anchoring vessel in order to alert the user.

Reconfigurable vehicles, methods of configuring modular vehicles are provided. Vehicles may have modules that may be coupled to the vehicle at discrete positions and at discrete angles. Configurations for the modular vehicles may be further determined automatically depending on desired vehicle characteristics. Modular vehicles may be configured manually, and a predicted vehicle characteristic may be determined.

A buoy, and systems and methods for rescuing people isolated on large bodies of water are disclosed. The buoy includes a remotely activatable device that is activatable when a signal is received from a remote source. The activatable device may be a signaling device, or an assistance device that is deployable by the buoy to assist in rescuing a person. A marine communication system formed by a number of spaced apart rescue buoys is also provided. A message or key other information can be transmitted to every buoy in the network via communication with just one buoy. The methods for rescuing people isolated on large bodies of water involve providing the network of communication buoys that can receive communications from the isolated person's personal communication device, and then transmit a signal to remotely activate an activatable device in a buoy to assist in the rescue of the person.

The present invention provides an anchor alarm device which is a manually deployed weighted device attached to or near the anchor which signals to device equipment at water-level. The device detects the movement of, or physical force generated by, a dislodged anchor. When deployed, a component of the anchor alarm device rests adjacent to or as part of a seated anchor at a distance predetermined by the tolerance of the secondary rode. The secondary rode connects the device directly to the anchor, or near the anchor on the primary rode. Upon displacement of the set anchor, in excess of the secondary rode, the device alerts the user. The device utilizes sensor monitoring inside of a housing component to detect a force indicative of anchor displacement. This detection triggers a signals emission which alerts the user of the change in position. In cases wherein the anchor is not immediately retrieved, device re-arms autonomously and stops emission of the alarm signal until the next anchor displacement. The system communicates with signal devices on board or deployed near the anchoring vessel in order to alert the user.

A waterborne autonomous rescue device floats in a body of water and continuously senses an ambient audio in the body of water, and performs voice recognition on the ambient audio to recognize a cry-out-for-help voice, and calculates a direction of an emission source (e.g. a drowning person) that emits the cry-out-for-help voice, and then the waterborne autonomous rescue device will automatically move forward in the direction of the emission source, so that the drowning person can cling to the waterborne autonomous rescue device and be carried to a safe location; a waterborne autonomous rescue system includes the waterborne autonomous rescue device which is further connected to a monitoring device; a monitoring personnel can check the status of the waterborne autonomous rescue device through the monitoring device. When a drowning incident occurs, the monitoring personnel can go to a location of the waterborne autonomous rescue device to carry out subsequent rescue.

A computer system has processing circuitry to control a force feedback unit to progressively increase a force feedback applied to the input device in response to a manual maneuvering of the input device towards a virtual stop position being defined in between an equilibrium position and a mechanical end position of the input device. The virtual stop position is a software-defined set point acting as an intermediate trigger for the input device. The force feedback is progressively increased until it reaches a maximum force feedback at the virtual stop position; and control the force feedback unit to reduce the force feedback applied to the input device at the virtual stop position in response to a force of a manual maneuvering of the input device exceeding the maximum force feedback value.

A watercraft according to one aspect includes: a watercraft body; a speaker supported by the watercraft body and exposed to an external environment; and processing circuitry supported by the watercraft body. The processing circuitry is configured to: acquire status information indicating a status of the watercraft; acquire sound information; based on the sound information, generate a speaker driving current that allows the speaker to emit a sound; and modify the speaker driving current based on the status information.