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INSIGHTS> ELECTRONICS> Team Italia i-Bridge Panorama VBS66 YACHTINGAUGUST2 0 1 9O
ne of the coolest
aspects of covering elec-
tronics for Yachting has
been the opportunity
to witness the ever-increasing levels
of technological integration that have
revolutionized yacht operations. Team
Italia, through its i-Bridge installations,
has become a leader in technological in-
tegration. ¶ That lead now widens with
the Panorama Virtualized Bridge Solu-
tion. This integrated-helm setup has a
user-friendly interface that amplifi es an
operator’s situational awareness, all in a
sleek package that combines the technol-
ogies of augmented reality, automation,
networking, digital switching, power
management and global connectivity.¶ In regards to hardware and software,
Team Italia’s eye-pleasing and highly
customizable Panorama VBS includes
a main user-interface terminal; numer-
ous video-monitoring screens and touch
screens; and a bespoke, Linux-based
operating system, as well as scalable levels
of built-in redundancy. The system can
include side workstations—“wings,” in
Team Italia’s parlance—for tasks such
as running the vessel’s electronic chart
display and information system, radar or
forward-looking sonar. The user-interface
terminal includes joggers, tracker balls,
rotary knobs and (installation depending)
hard keys. ¶ A user’s eyes are likely to
be riveted to the system’s touchscreen
displays: A 4K stretch screen displays
augmented-reality imagery, while LED
monitors display real-time video footagefrom the yacht’s abovedecks-mounted
cameras. The screens are typically fi tted
forward and athwartships of the user-
interface terminal, and the Panorama
VBS can be built into the yacht’s dash or
can reside on Team Italia-crafted tables. It
all depends on the yacht owner’s desired
setup. ¶ While the Panorama VBS is visu-
ally stunning, its magic resides behind its
touchscreen displays, where the various
technologies combine. ¶ “The Panora-
ma VBS uses a heterogeneous system
architecture and embedded electronic
solutions, with fully redundant cen-
tral-processing units based on watchdog
technology,” says Daniele Ceccanti, Team
Italia’s technical director. The “watch-
dog ” technologies monitor and report
failures, and can restart applications orreboot the system. “The operating system
uses suitably confi gured Linux solutions,
real-time operating systems and custom-
ized solutions. Some parts are based on
Windows Embedded or Internet of Things
architecture.” ¶ The Panorama VBS also
has Swiss-Army-knifelike networking
capabilities, including NMEA 0183, NMEA
2000, J1939, CAN bus and RS232 ports.
Ceccanti says the company develops ad-
ditional interface protocols and bespoke
hardware solutions as projects dictate.
¶ The result is an ergonomically
comfortable helm with a state-of-the-art
nav system, a full ship’s library (including
technical documentation) and built-in
power management, plus the processing
power necessary to run a sophisticated
yacht from a bank of screens. The systemalso communicates with people and clouds
by way of its Boat Connection Manager,
allowing users to manage the vessel’s cel-
lular, Wi-Fi and satellite-communication
connections. ¶ “The Panorama VBS can
be fully scaled up or down, so it can be
fi tted aboard middle-sized yachts or on
mega- and gigayachts,” Ceccanti says, add-
ing that it’s equally adept aboard custom
and semicustom builds. ¶ As with some
contemporary automobiles, the Panora-
ma VBS includes operating modes that
help owners and captains better perform
onboard tasks, such as going through a
pre-cruise checklist. ¶ “The operator
can choose among the various use pro-
fi les,” Ceccanti says. “This means that
the tools needed for every specifi c type
of navigation are always readily available.Ӧ The augmented-reality features help to
simplify tasks such as anchoring. Here,
the system employs topsides-mounted
video cameras to present, on the system’s
LED screens, a graphically augmented
rendering of the anchor lowering, as well
as information such as real-time depth
and the amount of anchor rode that’s been
released. The number of installed cameras
depends on a vessel’s length overall, with
the cameras strategically fi tted to deliv-
er panoramic views. ¶ “The Panorama
VBS augmented-reality system gives the
captain a full view of the environment
around the yacht from the bridge,” Cec-
canti says. “Through this type of display,
which is graphically overlaid with navi-
gation data, the captain can easily man-
age steering operations from the bridge.”Full yacht-systems integration, 4K displays and augmented reality are all part of i-Bridge VBS.
“ T h e P a n o r a m a V B S c a n b e f u l l y s c a l e d u p o r d o w n ,
s o i t c a n b e fi t t e d a b o a r d m i d d l e - s i z e d y a c h t s o r o n m e g a - a n d g i g a y a c h t s .”
—daniele ceccanti, team italia technical director