Remote Assistance system for Navigational Watchkeeping using Virtual Reality

Developing remote control and supervision technology can aid in addressing current and future safety issues at sea due to human errors resulting from one-person watchkeeping. This paper presents a remote assistance system that uses virtual reality (VR) to reduce the risk of human error and alleviate officers’ workload. The system provides a VR environment that replicates the ship’s state and navigational instruments, with limited connectivity via satellite, enabling an operator at an office onshore to have a comprehensive understanding of the surroundings, as if they were on the navigational bridge. Two navigation experiences were used to evaluate the system, and the results demonstrate that the developed system is an effective support tool for double-checking purposes.