within 0.05°C. As images are gathered by the cameras there is a process of real-time learning of water surface patterns that can recognise anomalies in those patterns with a database using a neural network with hundreds of thousands of filters to detect and identify marine objects. The proprietary Oscar database
has more than five million annotated marine objects that have been gathered over the past few years from 300,000 miles of on-water use in a wide variety of settings around the world. This database will continue to grow and improve as more data is gathered and uploaded. Users will have access to regular
over-the-air updates every few months to benefit from ongoing machine learning and new features. Another important feature of the
Oscar system is the user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) to best display what the system is detecting so that the information is easy and quick to comprehend. The system is controlled with the Oscar-Navigation app on your smartphone or tablet (Android or iOS), your chartplotter or an onboard computer. The UI uses an augmented reality
video stream combined with a map view – much more modern than a radar screen with polar coordinates. The information given is integrated with the instrument system to give heading and speed figures of your vessel while identifying the targets within the detectable range. Targets close by are shown to scale
Top, left and right: Oscar is installed at the masthead. The race-spec Competition version, used aboard four Ultimes as well as many of the Imocas, weighs just 750g plus a cable weight of 104g/m. Above: hitting a submerged shipping container at sea is every offshore sailor’s nightmare. Oscar is proven to
be the most reliable solution
on the screen because they are being imaged optically, with their range, bearing and speed noted in a colour- coded window based on object type. Targets further towards the horizon are noted with icons that correspond to their possible type, which is further refined as the object gets closer and more information is gathered. Those that may be on collision course are identified by an intelligent alarm system where filters are applied that identify their relative threat level within a tolerance of speed and course changes. Another important feature in the
user interface is having different settings for daylight and night time backdrops, as well as settings for coastal or offshore use. The specific capabilities of the
Oscar system depend on product model. The Offshore line includes Offshore One, Offshore 320 and Offshore 640 where each has these basic features: three cameras (one RGB and two thermal) and a rugged AI processing unit that is mounted at the masthead. Differences in the Offshore
products relate to daylight and twilight detection angles, detection frequency and thermal camera resolution. All unit types weigh 990g at the masthead. Examples of detection ranges
are for a buoy or person in the water: 100m for the Offshore One and Offshore 320 models, and 150m for the Offshore 640. A dinghy or RIB would be visible at 250m for the Offshore One, 450m for the Offshore 320, and 750m for the Offshore 640. Motorboats or sailboats are visible at 1,000m for the Offshore One, 1,300m for the Offshore 320, and 2,000m for the Offshore 640. Large vessels are visible to the horizon for all models. In the Oscar Competition line of
products, daylight and twilight detection angles are expanded to 110°, the resolution of the two thermal cameras is 320x256 pixels
for the 320 model and 640x512 for the 640 model. Detection ranges are the same as the Offshore 320 and Offshore 640 units, but they only weigh 750 grams at the masthead.
Are there limitations? Oscar is more informative and versatile than AIS and radar in most circumstances of use. The versatility of use in UI/UX is superior and the power levels required for both vision and processing units is only 25W for the 320 and 640 units. However, while Oscar can “see”
at night and low light environments more than three times better than the human eye in these conditions, its performance will degrade in fog and rain. Here radar is a useful tool, thus with Oscar it is a complementary systemthat can offer different benefits and limitations. Installation of Oscar optical units
at themasthead is easy, with two shielded cables needed for each: the Offshore units are 109g/min cable weight while the Competition units are 104g/m. This seems amazing even on themost weight-conscious rigs: for less than a four kilo-weight impact on the spar the boat can have a safety feature aboard thatmay save the life of the boat and the crew. Try to imagine how many offshore
races that ended in collisions could have had vastly more favorable outcomes had Oscar been deployed. Maybe this is why 19 of 37 Imoca 60s and four of eight teams in the Ultime fleet have committed to Oscar in the upcoming Route du Rhum. While sailing off the coast of
Africa Samantha Davies wrote to the race director of the last Transat Jacques Vabre: ‘Oscar alerted me to several very small boats that I could hardly see under the spinnaker, behind the waves, one of which was right in our path. I took the helm in time to avoid the collision. We luffed after I changed course, but the worst was avoided. Thanks Oscar.’
www.oscar-navigation.com
❑ SEAHORSE 57
JULIEN CHAMPOLION
ELOI STICHELBAUT
LLOYD/11TH HOUR RACING
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