Parking a car is a considerable simpler than docking a boat. With a car
you've got nearby items that offer good reflections for sensors. Pilings on
piers don't offer anywhere near the same signal qualities. That and the
environment for the sensors on the car is considerable milder than what
you'd find on a boat. Then there's the stability factor, a car doesn't have
to deal with constantly changing pitch, roll, and yaw. Another passing car
won't suddenly make the situation change, quite unlike how passing boat's
wake would affect things. Add all that up and the complexity of sensors and
the math involved is CONSIDERABLY more involved than anything you'd even
need on an auto.

So no, I don't see 'automagic' docking coming to boating anytime soon.
Better docking manueverability, sure, that's here today with things like IPS
and various other dock-on-command systems. They aid the process more than
anything ever seen on an auto but they still require human judgement.

JimH wrote:
"Chuck Gould" wrote in message
oups.com...

JimH wrote:


Wind, current, waves, prop efficiency, slack in the lines of the boats
docked in front/behind or along side of..........yaddayaddayadda.......

Interesting thought Chuck but as you know it will never happen.

If the sensors could keep track of the docking vessel's exact position
relative to other boats and the open space at the dock, and if there is
effectively 360 degree variable propulsion available (coming close with
the Volvo IPS system, for example) moderate wind or current
wouldn't be insurmountable in the equation. The system would need to
compensate, instantly, as variables changed. I don't think it's
something we will see soon- but something we could easily see
eventually.


I guess it is all a matter of time.......can your fantasy system update
position of the pilot boat and surrounding obstructions in a millisecond
time frame and have propulsion systems react within the same milliseconds?

Why milliseconds? A human can't do that.