SEA.AI and Carlisle & Finch combine machine vision and searchlight technology to improve target detection and tracking
SEA.AI and searchlight manufacturer The Carlisle & Finch Co. have integrated SEA.AI’s Sentry AI-powered maritime detection system with Carlisle & Finch’s SmartVIEW Gateway, combining machine vision with automated searchlight tracking to give crews a faster way to locate and monitor targets at sea.
The integration allows a vessel’s searchlight to turn towards and track a target detected and classified by SEA.AI, whether a person in the water, an unlit vessel or another object of interest. Once the operator selects the target, the SmartVIEW Gateway directs the connected searchlight to its bearing and keeps the beam trained on it as it moves, using live detection and tracking data from SEA.AI.
SEA.AI is designed to detect what conventional systems and the human eye can miss. Its thermal and low-light cameras use AI-based object detection to identify people in the water, unlit craft and floating debris. Radar can struggle with small, low-profile or non-metallic objects, while AIS shows only vessels actively broadcasting their position. At night or in poor visibility, SEA.AI gives crews another set of eyes on the water.
Spotting a target is only the first step. Once SEA.AI Sentry has found it, the crew no longer need to chase it manually with the searchlight joystick. The light follows automatically, leaving the operator free to steer, use the radio, prepare a rescue or continue scanning the surrounding water.
On a night-time search-and-rescue mission, for example, Sentry can detect a heat signature and flag a possible person in the water. The SmartVIEW-controlled searchlight turns towards the target and holds the beam on it. Instead of searching by eye and working the joystick, the crew can manoeuvre the vessel, ready lifesaving equipment and coordinate the rescue while the casualty remains illuminated.
The same principle applies beyond emergencies. During a night patrol or security operation, a low-profile speedboat or jet ski may be difficult to spot – and harder still to follow with a hand-held searchlight. SEA.AI can maintain the track, while SmartVIEW keeps the light on the target as it changes speed and direction, allowing the crew to concentrate on what happens next.
Highlights of the integration:
- Compatible with searchlights across the full Carlisle & Finch range, from small center-console and patrol boats to large ships.
- Slew-to-cue and active tracking of any target within SEA.AI’s field of view, reducing the operator workload of manually chasing a target with a joystick.
- Simple target handover: activate tracking from the SmartVIEW joystick and switches, then moves to the next target to port or starboard from the SEA.AI screen.
“It has always been hard for our customers to find an object seen on a screen with a searchlight beam – their focus torn between trying to match what’s on the display with what they see out the windows. This integration removes that challenge. Once SEA.AI has a target, SmartVIEW keeps the light on it – across our entire product range, from a small-boat LED searchlight to a ship’s xenon searchlight – so the operator can focus on the rest of the job.” – Garth Finch, Sr. Vice President/Owner, The Carlisle & Finch Co.
