Page 16: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (August 2016)

GOVERNMENT UPDATE

On 7 May 2016, a Tesla Model S automobile collided with a tractor trailer on a highway outside Williston, Florida.

The driver of the car died. Investigation revealed that the automobile was being operated in its driver-assist mode, meaning that it was guided by the on-board arti? cial intelligence system. Evidence indicates that the driver may not have been paying atten- tion to the operation of the automobile as his DVD was heard playing a Harry Potter movie when individuals arrived at the scene of the casualty. It appears that the automobile’s guidance camera was unable to distinguish the white body of the tractor-trailer from the bright sky as there is no indication that the brakes were applied before impact. e (not me personally, but while the mission team assumed that • On 7 May 2016, a Tesla Model S computers and related technology. In- humans as a group) have they had been calculated in English units automobile collided with a tractor trailer creased use of arti? cial intelligence, utilized arti? cial intel- (pounds). on a highway outside Williston, Florida. though, must be accompanied by in-

Wligence to launch un- The driver of the car died. Investigation creased training of crew members, whose manned craft into space on increasingly • When launched in 1990, the Hubble revealed that the automobile was being tasks will be changed. For example, we long and complex voyages. Mostly, these Space Telescope provided only fuzzy operated in its driver-assist mode, mean- quickly learned that Electronic Chart space missions succeed and provide us images. Analysis revealed that the de- ing that it was guided by the on-board ar- Display and Information Systems (EC- with wonderful images and reams of im- vice used for the ? nal grinding of the ti? cial intelligence system. Evidence in- DIS) cannot be installed in ships with- portant data. Therefore, it is theoretically 2.4 meter mirror had been incorrectly dicates that the driver may not have been out providing detailed training to the and practically possible to construct and assembled. The mirror had been ground paying attention to the operation of the crew members expected to utilize that operate an unmanned cargo ship. very precisely, but to the wrong shape. automobile as his DVD was heard play- computerized system. At the same time,

The difference between the unmanned It was only in 1993 after a risky space ing a Harry Potter movie when individu- basic maritime training for those crew space missions and a similar maritime shuttle mission to install corrective lens als arrived at the scene of the casualty. members must not be jettisoned. Unless mission is fundamental. that Hubble was fully able to fully ex- It appears that the automobile’s guidance the mariner understands, for example,

A space mission involves a large team plore space. The take-away is that few camera was unable to distinguish the what information a maritime chart is ex- of specialists working together for years. things go as planned. white body of the tractor-trailer from the pected to provide, ECDIS will be of no

Assumptions are challenged and re? ned. bright sky as there is no indication that more value that a video game.

Technology is pushed to the limit and • On December 14, 1996, the fully- the brakes were applied before impact. There are boundaries to human knowl- beyond. Money is spent in truckloads. loaded grain carrier Bright Field was The bottom line is that designers of edge. These boundaries may expand

Tests are performed and analyzed. Triple downbound under pilotage on the Mis- machines, no matter how sophisticated, over time, but they continue to exist. and quadruple redundancies are built in. sissippi River passing through the Port can’t anticipate and plan for every even- Arti? cial intelligence still relies on the

The rocket and payload are assembled of New Orleans. The main engine sud- tuality. They also can’t design and man- skills of human programmers, engineers, with the highest degree of quality con- denly stopped. Exercising great skill, ufacture equipment and structures that and operators. We don’t know what we trol. The rocket is launched. It mostly the pilot was able to guide the freighter will last forever and require no mainte- don’t know. While arti? cial intelligence works now-a-days, but that was not into the Riverwalk promenade while nance. Another thing we know is that no is pushing the existing boundaries, stu- true previously. Even after a success- sounding the ship’s whistle to alert those matter how many cautions accompany pidity and hubris are limitless!

ful launch, the space craft is monitored ashore. The allision into the promenade new labor-saving technology, users will closely by a large team of experts who resulted in 66 injuries, but none was se- invariably operate that technology be- continually analyze the data and make rious. Repair costs for the ship were $2 yond the published limits.

corrections as needed. They are also million and for the promenade and as- It is a fool’s errand to design and oper- available to reprogram the space craft sociated property $15 million. Investi- ate an unmanned ship over an extended and make course corrections as neces- gation revealed that the engine was de- period unless you are willing to devote sary when something goes wrong – a not signed with an automatic shutdown in the time, effort, manpower, and mon- infrequent event. Eventually, the space the event of low lubricating oil pressure. ies expended by organizations such as craft performs its mission (be it a ? y-by No one had thought through the rami? - NASA. Such devotion will, by de? ni- past Pluto or an orbital mission around cations of such an automatic shutdown tion, make the venture unpro? table.

Jupiter). There are well-deserved con- on the safety of the ship. This is not to say that there is no place gratulations all around and the public in- for arti? cial intelligence in the maritime creasingly gets the impression that suc- • The U.K Royal Navy recently industry. Humans cause the majority of cess is routine. launched and placed into service a marine casualties. Judicious use of arti? -

The Author

Even with all the checks, double- squadron of highly sophisticated Type cial intelligence has proven the possibil- checks, and triple-checks, space mis- 45 destroyers. The six warships, costing ity of reducing the number and severity

Dennis L. Bryant is with Bryant’s Mari- sions do not always succeed. approximately $1.4 billion, have experi- of those casualties. It must be recog- time Consulting, and a regular contribu- enced repeated power outages because nized, though, that arti? cial intelligence, tor to Maritime Reporter & Engineering • In 1999, NASA’s Mars Climate the gas turbine engines are unable to op- because it contains its own unique set of

News as well as online at MaritimePro-

Orbiter burned up in the Martian atmo- erate on extended deployments in warm ? aws, will also cause its own unique set fessional.com. sphere because the thrust of the maneu- water, such as that found in the Arabian of casualties.

t: 1 352 692 5493 vering rockets on the orbiter had been Gulf. Pre-production planning and test- There are numerous tasks that can be e: [email protected] calculated in metric units (newtons) ing were obviously inadequate. improved through the studied use of 16 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • AUGUST 2016

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