Last week we covered current trends in Superyacht technology such as connectivity, IT support at sea, and cybersecurity. With more people working at sea due to the pandemic, the need for remote-access technology increases. Technology is developing at a rapid pace that allows for ease of life both on land and on the sea.
This week, we’ll take a look at safety measures that integrate with your smartphone and dynamic entertainment experiences. Continue reading below to learn more!
Emotional Rooms
“The modern consumer is all about the experience that their technology delivers to them, not the underlying technology,” Levine says. “Millennials are starting to drive these conversations. Whether they are the children or grandchildren of the owners, they are far more willing to pay for exceptional experiences than things.” Meeting this demand is the rise of dynamic, interactive, and so-called “emotional” tech on board, which is designed to enhance a guest’s experience.
Sacramento-based California Audio Technology creates “dynamic entertainment experiences”, and is looking to do more with less – including less equipment. The company is working on an audio specification that will allow onboard DJs or bands to be accompanied simply by their laptops or instruments without the need to bring on a bulky PA system, and the time and logistics that are required for set-up. Working with production company Blue International Talent, it is developing a marine system spec that will consider a yacht’s individual sound and lighting needs – however high-spec these might be.
“Most audio systems in the marine space are designed to deliver low-level background audio, yet most stadiums don’t have the aesthetic integration possible that a yacht requires,” says Levine. “This specification will allow for a whole new range of experiences for both charter guests and owners, by giving them the opportunity to have everything from a stand-up comedian to a jazz trio to someone like Coldplay, David Guetta, or Elton John playing a private concert on the back of their yacht in a remote part of the world.”
Meanwhile, VBH is focusing on setting the mood and helping to create ever more extravagant examples of interactive bars, walls, and hallways that can transform a superyacht space using content displayed on screens. “Instead of such screens only being used for showing movies or television shows, we can use them as integrative backgrounds,” says Kleiman. “They can add extra depth and meaning to a boat’s space.”
Perhaps as a much-needed salve to all this overload in technology, Videoworks has developed what it calls the Emotional Room, a system that utilizes an algorithm on a neural network to assess the mood of the people in a space and adapt the lighting and music accordingly. Cameras in the room will scan guests’ faces to determine their emotions by mapping “points of interest” on their faces, such as the eyes, lips, and cheekbones. The neural network will then learn how different settings – from lighting set-up and positions to music selection – in the room affect human emotions. This self-learning system evolves the more it’s used, and is designed to replicate conditions that it logs as the most pleasing.
Emotional Rooms will start appearing on yachts from late spring this year, including in a project with one of the top Italian builders. Not only is superyacht technology getting better at giving us what we want, but it will also soon be doing it without us even asking.
Safety first
With such enormous pieces of machinery sitting far from land, there’s a certain risk factor that comes with the territory of yachting. And while the owner is busy soaking up the sunshine or entertaining guests of an evening, it’s the role of the crew and captain to ensure safety at all times. “Don’t run on the decks” springs to mind, but in reality, onboard safety goes far beyond the do’s and don’t of yachting etiquette. Inmarsat is currently trialing an IMO-approved safety solution ‘Fleet Safety’, set for release later this year. “We’ve effectively brought safety communications into the 21st century,” says Broadhurst. “If the vessel is in any danger then the crew have immediate access to secure communications. It’s easier to use than what’s currently out there, with greater functionality that will allow the crewmembers to feel confident in onboard safety equipment and communications. Inmarsat was set up to provide safety to seafarers and this is effectively the next generation of safety.”
Complete and original article published on boatinternational.com