HANSA 04-2018

Schiffstechnik | Ship Technology
From concept to reality –
Seamless modelling seems to be
within grasp
Model-Based Design &
Artificial Intelligence
What is behind trends like Digital Twin or Autonomous Shipping? The 17th Conference on
Computer and IT Applications in the Maritime Industries (COMPIT) will give an insight.
Organizer Volker Bertram of Tutech Innovation presents an exclusive preview of the
conference held 14–16 May 2018 in Pavone, Italy
Over the past two decades, COMPIT
has established itself as a key conference
in information technology (IT)
for the maritime industries, bringing
together software developers and users.
Most participants come from the industry,
reflecting the practical relevance of
the event. COMPIT lasts three full days.
This year, the main trends, in short, are:
• l Appgrades galore: Do the same tasks,
but better thanks to new technologies,
using apps instead of installed software,
smartphones instead of 3D scanning,
or Virtual Reality instead of 2D
displays for training and instruction. A
lot of the progress is evolutionary.
• l Cradle-to-grave model-based processes:
From early design to ships in
service, product life-cycle management
is model-based. The Digital Twin grows
and evolves as the real ship does.
• l AI embraced: Assorted new developments
use the power of Big Data and
Artificial Intelligence (machine learning).
AI is embraced as a useful tool,
nothing more, nothing less.
• l Autonomous systems spread: While
everybody waits for the unmanned ship
on the horizon, under our noses a multitude
of autonomous systems and robots
mature to support smarter ship operation.
Tear your eyes away from the
horizon and grab the opportunities!
Appify me
If computer experts would speak plain
English, we all might understand them.
Which is probably a nightmare for them
and will not happen in this world. So,
us mere mortals better get used to some
new vocabulary. »Appification« for example.
The act of turning software that
used to be installed on your computer
into an App – software that is in the
cloud and can be run from your smartphone.
Actually, that is quite a smart idea
and the Apps are coming also to the marine
world. »Appify what can be appified«
seems to be the motto this year. Palluch et
al. (Friendship Systems and ISA Propulsion)
describe a web-based App (webApp)
for geometric modeling and design of
propellers. The App builds on well-established
design environment CAESES offering
selected functionalities via a standard
web-browser. Building on CAESES’
parametric modeling techniques, a propeller
is generated with just a handful of
inputs. Its geometry can be downloaded
in standard format descriptions, e.g. for
CFD simulations or 3D printing.
There are persistent rumors that smartphones
are actually sometimes used for
phoning other people. But surely, they are
busy most of the time with these Apps
or other engineering wizardry. Did you
know that smartphones can replace 3D
scans? This little gem is presented by Fischer
et al. (Fraunhofer and Rostock University),
who describe new ways of capturing
the as-built state of ships. Instead
of expensive laser scanners, mobile devices
like smartphones are used to create
point clouds and ultimately 3D models.
During assembly, the 3D model of the
ship as-built is then available with precious
little time delay.
66 HANSA International Maritime Journal – 155. Jahrgang – 2018 – Nr. 4