The Future of Work at Sea: Designing Human-Machine Interfaces for Autonomous Vessels

Introduction

The concept of autonomous, remote, and unmanned vessels is rapidly growing in the maritime industry. In a number of cases, watchkeeping activities are being migrated to shore stations. Human-machine interfaces are being developed to allow watchkeeping to take place remotely and enable operators to control the vessel and communicate with it from anywhere in the world. With automation becoming more popular, this report shall explore the different types of autonomous vessels and try to understand precisely what is meant by the term autonomous and whether human interaction and the use of HMIs are required on all emerging types of vessels. With that, there are causes of concern about whether the industry is equipped for the new wave of the modern seafarer and if enough is being done to ensure that the qualifications and requirements for controllers are in place and there is enough qualified personnel to take on this responsibility.

What are Human Machine Interfaces?

A Human Machine Interface (HMI) is a user interface or dashboard that connects a person to a machine, system or device and can technically be applied to any screen that allows interaction with a device. An HMI System will provide the controls that a user can use to operate machines, systems or instruments, which could encompass everything from the ship’s power systems to the bridge and navigation systems, and allow the user to perform control functions and receive feedback on those actions.