3 ms·

Wow, I can't believe this is happening only now. This is such a great idea. Autonomous boat driving is likely a lot simpler than car driving. Mostly because the

by d--b 5y ago

Wow, I can't believe this is happening only now. This is such a great idea. Autonomous boat driving is likely a lot simpler than car driving. Mostly because there are only few other boats, each with their own inertia, no roadwork, little tunnels, no pedestrians... This is definitely part of the future...

stevesimmons 5y ago
> no pedestrians And swimmers! My office here in Amsterdam is on a canal. All through the summer there are 20-30 swimmers a day. Including one man who every morning swims head-down freestyle the 1km around Prinseneiland.
- consumer451 5y ago
  As someone with chronic sinusitis, which likely came from years of swimming in questionable water, this is utter insanity to me. Does canal swimming seem a bit nuts to you as well?
  - difosfor 5y ago
    We keep our canals reasonably clean; especially if you're close to one of the inlets of clean water the risks are low from what I understand. In the summer you have to watch out for algae etc. But we also keep track of those in official swim water around the canals. And finally I think the risks of swimming in a crowded small official swimming lake can be pretty high as well. But yeah, I'd still think twice before going swimming in a canal and I'd try to keep the water out of my mouth etc.
pintxo 5y ago
And most evidence for failure will quickly remove itself from the surface of the earth. /s
DoingIsLearning 5y ago
> no pedestrians. Actually there are plenty of Single sculls, kayakers, paddleboarders, etc. in most canals in the Netherlands. But indeed the reaction time you need is still a lot slower than with pedestrians jumping in front of a car.
phicoh 5y ago
It is not as simple as that. Unlike roads which are mostly deadlock free (of course with some exceptions), going around in Amsterdam canals can be extrmely tricky. There are big tourist boats that are way too big for the canals, so you have to move out of the way when they turn. There are plenty of bridges where only one boat at a time can pass. And there is no requirement to keep right on the water. Going on bigger water is also not easy. Ferries accelerate very quickly when they depart and have priority over small boats. For bigger boats, you have to assume they cannot see a smaller boat and if they see one, they cannot brake or change course.
jillesvangurp 5y ago
There are already some companies experimenting with autonomous ships in international waters. Maritime drones have also been a thing for a while. There's a bay area company that has been operating some of those for a few years. They are at sea for months.

by d--b 5y ago

stevesimmons 5y ago

> no pedestrians And swimmers! My office here in Amsterdam is on a canal. All through the summer there are 20-30 swimmers a day. Including one man who every morning swims head-down freestyle the 1km around Prinseneiland.

consumer451 5y ago
As someone with chronic sinusitis, which likely came from years of swimming in questionable water, this is utter insanity to me. Does canal swimming seem a bit nuts to you as well?
- difosfor 5y ago
  We keep our canals reasonably clean; especially if you're close to one of the inlets of clean water the risks are low from what I understand. In the summer you have to watch out for algae etc. But we also keep track of those in official swim water around the canals. And finally I think the risks of swimming in a crowded small official swimming lake can be pretty high as well. But yeah, I'd still think twice before going swimming in a canal and I'd try to keep the water out of my mouth etc.

pintxo 5y ago

And most evidence for failure will quickly remove itself from the surface of the earth. /s

DoingIsLearning 5y ago

> no pedestrians. Actually there are plenty of Single sculls, kayakers, paddleboarders, etc. in most canals in the Netherlands. But indeed the reaction time you need is still a lot slower than with pedestrians jumping in front of a car.

phicoh 5y ago

It is not as simple as that. Unlike roads which are mostly deadlock free (of course with some exceptions), going around in Amsterdam canals can be extrmely tricky. There are big tourist boats that are way too big for the canals, so you have to move out of the way when they turn. There are plenty of bridges where only one boat at a time can pass. And there is no requirement to keep right on the water. Going on bigger water is also not easy. Ferries accelerate very quickly when they depart and have priority over small boats. For bigger boats, you have to assume they cannot see a smaller boat and if they see one, they cannot brake or change course.

jillesvangurp 5y ago

There are already some companies experimenting with autonomous ships in international waters. Maritime drones have also been a thing for a while. There's a bay area company that has been operating some of those for a few years. They are at sea for months.