Atlas Elektronik, BMT collaborate on autonomous maritime navigation

UK design house and technical consulting firm BMT has partnered with compatriot company Atlas Elektronik UK (AEUK) to advance autonomous maritime navigation by using the synthetic environment assurance service (SEAS) testbed. 

As informed, as part of this collaboration, the partners assessed AEUK’s autonomous navigation system, ARCIMS, to deliver critical insights into the decision-making capabilities and compliance with the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGs).

ARCIMS, a maritime platform designed for modularity and adaptability, can be used for autonomous mine warfare and unmanned vessel operations. Leveraging its proprietary SEAS testbed, BMT evaluated the ARCIMS system’s ability to ‘operate safely and effectively in complex and dynamic maritime environments’.

BMT’s SEAS testbed enabled the testing of AEUK’s system in detailed synthetic maritime environments, replicating complex operational scenarios under controlled, repeatable conditions. Using the SEAS platform, AEUK’s system was tested in a wide array of high-pressure scenarios designed to stress-test its algorithms and reveal actionable insights for refinement.

“BMT’s partnership with ATLAS ELEKTRONIK UK underscores the importance of simulation-based assurance in developing safe, reliable autonomous systems,” said Will Alexander, Campaign Lead for Maritime Autonomous Systems at BMT and a master mariner and hydrographic surveyor.

“Building trust in AI decision-making is equally vital. Trustworthy AI must be embedded into the foundation of autonomous systems, and this project exemplifies how that principle is part of the very DNA of our SEAS testbed, ensuring systems are not only compliant but also capable of making informed, seamanlike decisions in dynamic maritime environments.”

“In my view, this type of exercise is an invaluable addition to our existing test procedures. Working with specialist navigators and running scenarios specifically tailored to catch COLREGs ‘edge’ cases allowed us to identify areas for improvement in future algorithm versions. I was pleased to hear it said several times that our vessel was making safe decisions and, in some cases, clever solutions, while maintaining COLREGs compliance and safe standoff from other vessels,” Atlas Eelektronik UK’s Principal Software Engineer for Command, Control, and Autonomy Systems, Ian Renton, reflected on the collaboration.

“Establishing the MASS SEAS assurance methodology has enabled the Naval Authority (NA), as the safety certifying body for MOD shipping, to delegate the assessment of the COLREG capability of innovate new platforms using cutting edge technology to a Recognised Organisation (RO),” Stephen Perry, from the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) Naval Authority and Technology Group (NATG) – Propulsion, Manoeuvring & Navigation Systems, added.

“The RO provides an independent third-party report, compiled using an approved syllabus of tailored tests conducted in a Type-Approved high-fidelity synthetic environment, which enables the NA to define a safe operating envelope and certification for the MASS. MASS SEAS is one of the tools enabling the UK MOD to establish one of the world’s first frameworks for the certification of marine autonomy,” he concluded.

In February this year, Atlas Elektronik UK received Unmanned Marine Systems (UMS) Certification from classification society Lloyd’s Register for its RNMB Hydra vessel, an uncrewed Royal Navy surface vessel designed for mine sweeping and mine hunting tasks.