Kongsberg Digital has announced that it has been awarded a contract by UIPA, the South Korean Information and Communication Technology Promotion Agency, to develop a complete bridge simulation solution for a new autonomous vessel research facility in Ulsan, South Korea.
Over the next three years, the Korean government plans to invest 130 billion won (US$110 million) in the facility, with production operations due to start in 2023. The contract awarded to Kongsberg Digital is being delivered through maritime ICT convergence specialists eMARINE Global.
The facility will use the simulator, which will be based on Kongsberg Digital’s K-Sim Navigation hardware and software platform, to virtually test autonomous vessel technologies such as navigational equipment and display systems, before they are deployed in a more realistic test bed environment. The simulator will incorporate facilities such as a radar signal interface function, navigation analysis, equipment test and evaluation.
In addition to the simulator, Kongsberg Digital will provide newly developed software that will allow integration of external inputs such as GPS and wave sensors, as well as an API interface to permit simulation data transfer to other systems. A new modelling tool will also allow different simulated vessel models to be created from scratch.
Tone-Merete Hansen, senior vice president at Kongsberg Digital, commented: “Kongsberg Digital’s suite of simulators have a huge potential in the maritime research and development sector. The K-Sim technology platform, with its physics-based modelling, incredibly realistic vessel behaviour and virtual environment, enables testing and verification of operations to a very high level. Our simulation technology will support UIPA to test, verify and shape innovations in the field of autonomy. Other international autonomy projects have recently selected our simulation technology to carry out advanced autonomy studies, so we see a new market for advanced simulation growing.”
