Towards Adaptive Trajectories for Mixed Autonomous and Human-Operated Ships

Abstract

We are witnessing the rise of autonomous cars, which will likely revolutionize the way we travel. Arguably, the maritime domain lags behind, as ships operate on many more degrees of freedom (thus, a much larger search space): there is less physical infrastructure, and rules are less consistent and constraining than what is found on roads. The problem is further complicated by the inevitable co-existence of autonomous and human-operated ships: the latter may take unpredictable decisions, which require adjustments on the autonomous ones. Finally, the problem is inherently decentralised, there is no central authority, and communication means can be very diverse in terms of communication distance and performance, mandating special care on which information is shared and how. In this work, we elaborate on the challenges of trajectory prediction and adaptation for mixed autonomous and human-operated ships, and we propose initial ideas on potential approaches to address them.