The perception and decision layer that lets an uncrewed surface vessel keep a proper lookout by sight, judge risk of collision and take early, substantial action — the three things COLREG Rules 5, 7 and 8 actually require.
The problem
What this exists to solve.
An uncrewed vessel cannot be lawfully operated simply by avoiding radar returns. COLREGs are written around a human lookout who sees, judges and acts — and around vessel-type obligations that only a visual system can establish. A trawler with her gear out and a trawler steaming are the same radar blip and carry opposite obligations.
Our approach
How VARUNA-AV handles it.
VARUNA-AV fuses vision, radar, AIS and GNSS into a single track picture, then reasons over it with an explicit encoding of the steering and sailing rules. Every manoeuvre it proposes carries the rule that produced it, the give-way determination and the CPA it is protecting — so a trials board or an accident investigator can audit the decision rather than interrogate a black box.
Capability
What it does well.
Reads lights and shapes
Night-time light patterns and daytime shapes are classified directly, so vessel-type obligations are established the way a bridge officer establishes them.
Cites the rule it acted on
Each manoeuvre is logged with its governing rule and the CPA it protects, which is what a trials authority asks for.
Early and substantial
The planner is tuned to Rule 8's requirement for action large enough to be apparent to another vessel visually or by radar, not a series of small alterations.
Degrades honestly
When perception confidence falls below the configured floor, the vessel station-keeps and calls for a human rather than continuing on a guess.
Specification
Technical data.
Figures are typical values at nominal conditions. Acceptance criteria are agreed per programme and verified at trials — we do not quote a number we will not demonstrate.
| Perception inputs | Up to 12 camera channels, X/S-band radar, AIS Class A/B, GNSS/INS, optional LiDAR |
|---|---|
| Track capacity | 256 simultaneous fused tracks, 10 Hz update |
| Rule coverage | COLREG Rules 5, 6, 7, 8, 13–19; restricted-visibility branch under Rule 19 |
| Vessel-type recognition | Trawler with gear, purse seiner, sailing vessel, RAM, NUC, pilot, dredger |
| Light and shape reading | Navigation light pattern and day-shape classification at night and by day |
| Manoeuvre planner | Receding-horizon, 12-minute lookahead, honours a configurable CPA/TCPA contract |
| Explainability | Per-decision rule citation, give-way status and CPA delta, written to trials log |
| Compute | SETU-EDGE E120 or E240; 60–240 TOPS depending on channel count |
| Fallback | Deterministic station-keep on perception degradation, with operator alert |
| Comms | 4G/5G, VSAT, VHF data; store-and-forward for the full decision log |
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Evaluate VARUNA-AV on your platform.
We run structured evaluations: a defined operating profile, an agreed acceptance criterion, and a trials report you can take to your own review board.