This site and others have had a few reboots. From influencer blog to podcast and now another iteration. As part of the Aquitude Group, this site will have a new purpose – to provide resources and consulting to the marine sector, specifically the applications, opportunities and threats of emerging technology.
Specifically, this site will focus on a group of technologies which we believe will have a big impact on every aspect of the marine industry, from professional sailing to design, manufacturing, training and marketing. The technologies include: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Augmented, Mixed and Virtual Reality, (AR / VR), blockchain and others which might be loosely grouped together as Web3.
Each one of these technologies could change markets and industries and together they are already starting to be seen. From the SailGP DAO, to Digital Twins used to simulate high-performance sailing machines for the America’s Cup.
We’ve been talking about technology advances in design since 2008, but it’s always been a driver, especially at the top-end of the sport of sailing. Australia II’s winged keel may be one of the more famous examples of how innovative design changed the sport, but there are less obvious ones – like Laird Hamilton adding foils to his surfboard so he could surf ‘monster’ waves.
What will advances in Artificial Intelligence mean for the Marine sector? Will it be used to imagine new designs? Our new logo was created using an AI. An algorithm took some of the words that are at the core of our proposition and turned them into an image in which you can infer sails, a whale’s tail or a winged keel. What else could AI be applied to? Could it make better navigation decisions than a human? Could it helm a boat better than a human?
Will there be sailing in the metaverse? Will there be weather in the metaverse? Will sailing be a simulation or more of a gamified experience? Why buy land when there could be so much sea?
Digital Twins is a concept that is being used a lot already in the marine sector. There are digital twins of the ocean and simulators for America’s Cup sailors to test the theoretical limits of their machines.
There is so much opportunity, but there are also threats, entire markets may be wiped out by this technology and we need to be prepared.
