This study proposed a route tracking system for an autonomous solar-powered surface vehicle which supported the operation of autonomous underwater vehicles. The route tracking system was designed with consideration of influence of the wave and the current in the ocean. Effectiveness of developed system was carried out with simulation result.

The needs to develop an automatic pier docking system has arisen due to a shortage of seafarers. An automatic pier docking system was proposed in a previous study; however, the system was highly limited in its applicability. In order to develop a practical system, applicable to a wide range of conditions and environments, it was necessary to evaluate the mental workload of captains while using this new system. This study proposed a system that could be safely used to test an automatic pier docking system using a real ship. With the proposed system, an experiment involving the automatic pier docking system was safely executed and the captain's mental workload was effectively measured.

These days, reduction of the young crew, aging, reduce labor costs, and overwork of crew have become serious problems. To solve the problem, navigation supporting system was developed for one person bridge operation. However, technological improvement was more necessary and human error still remained in the system. Thus, with a concept of telexistence, a system for supporting navigation officer was proposed by remote control of a telexistence robot from shore side. The telexistence system was communicated between the telexistence robot on a ship and an experienced mariner from shore by satellite communication. However, for achieving the telexistence system, delay time must be measured because the delay time might cause a marine accident. In this study, the round trip delay time of satellite communication was verified, and the result indicated that the telexistence system worked enough on a ship.

A human can lift up an object with almost minimal grasping force regardless of the friction coefficient between the fingers and the object, but the sensing mechanism for this remarkable task has not been well explained yet. We propose a tactile sensor to detect a friction coefficient at the moment of touch. With this sensor output we evaluate the largest lifting-force just before a slip happens, without any preliminary motions. The sensor has a sensing cell in the elastic body, which measures strain/stress components parallel and vertical to the surface. Those plural stress/strain parameters at a point gives the friction coefficient. A prototype sensor is fabricated with acoustic resonant tensor cell, and we examine its principles in experiments.