Volvo Penta announced at CES 2021 the commercial availability of a fully integrated assisted system for mooring boats . The new Assisted Docking offers the captain “a mi better control when a boat docks automating its intentions, compensating for some dynamic variables, such as wind and current, and helping the boat stay on its intended course “.

The berth can be one of the most demanding aspects of navigation , even for those who are experienced: crowding at the pier, wind and currents can represent a problem and making a mistake means, at best, making very expensive damage to your boat. The Volvo Penta system consists of a joystick which the captain must point in the desired direction and a system which knows the position of the boat thanks to a combination of GPS, onboard sensors and dynamic positioning.

Once the direction in which the boat should go and the speed have been indicated, the docking system takes into account external forces and compensates to ensure that the boat follows the captain’s wishes. This is because the system is able to calculate the angles of transmission and thrust, acting on the drift and bringing the boat back on the expected course. The technology maintains course by constantly adjusting the steering angles and thrust, and allows for different maneuvers : movement in a straight line without manual compensation, the stop, the slow maneuver, the rotation around a fixed point, the micro-repositioning and alignment and the lateral thrust for lateral docking .

“Assisted Docking is a hybrid of automated and manual attack “, explained Ida Sparrefors, Director of Autonomous Solutions and New Business Models at Volvo Penta. “While it would have been easier to implement full automation in a way, the beauty of this system is that it gives the captain more control. With our team of experts – from software developers to test drivers – we have made sure that he behaves intuitively in all situations, so that anyone can feel like an experienced captain “.

The Assisted Docking system will be available from spring only for OEMs for installation on new boat models, but also as an option to upgrade yatch from 35 to 120 feet with Volvo Penta IPS propulsion system. It can also be adapted to existing boats moved by Volvo Penta IPS, as long as you update the software and install a new antenna.