An apparatus includes a first member having a housing that encloses a power source and a controller, a second member coupled to the first member that is seeded with a target product, and a sensing module coupled to the first member to allow power from the power source to be transmitted to the sensing module and sensor data from the sensing module to be transmitted to the controller. The sensing module including a sensor oriented toward at least a portion of the second member. The sensor configured to obtain sensor data associated with at least one characteristic of the target product.

Methods and systems enabling electronic devices associated with each of at least two watercrafts to dynamically form ad hoc wireless networks when the corresponding watercrafts are within range of one another are provided. Data transfer on the water is thus enhanced via such ad hoc mesh-type networks. A method of distributing marine electronics data includes receiving, over a first wireless local area network at an electronic device associated with a first watercraft, marine electronics data from an electronic device associated with a second watercraft; establishing a second wireless local area network between the electronic device associated with the first watercraft and an electronic device associated with a third watercraft; and transmitting the marine electronics data received from the electronic device associated with the second watercraft from the electronic device associated with the first watercraft to the electronic device associated with the third watercraft over the second wireless local area network.

An apparatus including a controllable fluid-contacting surface is provided. In another aspect, the present apparatus includes a flexible membrane and multiple actuators each having an output shaft or activation member coupled to a water-contacting membrane, with the shafts extending in a direction offset from the nominal outer surface of the membrane. A further aspect of the present apparatus includes an underwater vessel including a propulsion source, a flexible membrane having a water-contacting outer surface and an electronic controller including programmable software for actuating the actuators.

An apparatus including a controllable fluid-contacting surface is provided. In another aspect, the present apparatus includes a flexible membrane and multiple actuators each having an output shaft or activation member coupled to a water-contacting membrane, with the shafts extending in a direction offset from the nominal outer surface of the membrane. A further aspect of the present apparatus includes an underwater vessel including a propulsion source, a flexible membrane having a water-contacting outer surface and an electronic controller including programmable software for actuating the actuators.

A system assists the driving of a ship and is configured to estimate the structural loads of the ship due to the direct wave excitation, and structural loads of the ship due to the whipping effect caused by the wave slamming. The system includes at least one reference sensor adapted to provide an indication of a motion or stress magnitude at a predetermined point of the ship structure, and is further configured to calculate an estimate of the magnitude at the predetermined point in the ship structure, compare the indication of magnitude with the estimate of the magnitude so as to determine an offset value, and correct the estimates of the structural loads and/or the estimate of the magnitude on the basis of the offset value.

The systems and methods described herein provide hands free motor control mechanisms based on the natural and inherent movements associated with an activity of interest, and can be combined with gestures or verbal communication based upon pre-defined movements by the participant.

The systems and methods described herein provide hands free motor control mechanisms based on the natural and inherent movements associated with an activity of interest, and can be combined with gestures or verbal communication based upon pre-defined movements by the participant.

A marine autopilot system configured to control a marine vessel through a marine environment is disclosed herein. The marine autopilot system may obtain data of the marine environment from charts and community shared data and generate a path from a first location to a destination location in the marine environment. The marine autopilot system may control the marine vessel along the path based on the marine vessel dynamics and weather and water current conditions. Sensors may detect hazards on and in the water and object detections systems may classify the hazards. The marine autopilot system may control the marine vessel to avoid the hazards based on the location and classification of the hazards. Furthermore, sensors may be utilized to generate detailed 3D maps that change with time to dock the marine vessel at known and unknown locations.

A moving body control device includes a moving body direction sensor, a position sensor, and processing circuitry. The processing circuitry estimates a direction of disturbance. The processing circuitry sets a target position and a starting position. The processing circuitry controls a propulsion generator and a movement direction adjuster such that a heading direction sensed by the moving body direction sensor is opposite to the direction of the disturbance estimated by the processing circuitry, and when the moving body has been drifted at least a specific distance from the target position, the moving body returns to the starting position, and the heading direction at the starting position is opposite to the direction of the disturbance. The processing circuitry changes the starting position based on a distance between the target position and a position of the moving body sensed by the position sensor.

A system and method for the estimation of a sloshing response of a sealed and thermally insulating tank for transporting liquefied gas. A statistical model is trained using a supervised machine learning method on a set of test data that may include sea test data, the statistical model being capable of estimating a sloshing response of the tank depending on a tank fill level and a current sea state, and optionally at least one of a draught, speed or course of the vessel. The statistical model trained in this manner is used to estimate a sloshing response of a sealed and thermally insulating tank for transporting liquefied gas. In an alternative embodiment, the statistical model estimates the sloshing response from a tank fill level and a current sea state, and optionally from at least one of a draught, speed or course of the vessel.