Today, tug boat crews have one of the most dangerous jobs on the planet. Between the extreme temperatures, work-related injuries, and the threat of being swept overboard, being part of a tug boat crew can be a dangerous career. The ATLAS System project is a speculative project aimed at finding a solution that improves tugboat safety and efficiency in the near future.
Design Team
Jameson Watts
Design Researcher / Graphic / UI Designer
Benjamin Russ
Transportation Industrial Designer / Design Researcher
Presently, Crown Equipment Corporation is a materials handling company that focuses on inner-warehouse logistics. It is plausible that by 2035, Crown will have moved into the harbor industry as an extension of their reach over different aspects of the materials handling market.
Retrofitting.
Due to the long lifespan of conventional tug boats along with the high price tag, it would be unlikely that by 2035, harbors would be financially able to replace tug boats entirely. It would be much more likely and cost effective to retrofit tug boats that are currently in use with the technology necessary to control them from a distance. This remote control retrofit is the basis for the ATLAS System.
Remote Overseeing.
The ATLAS System’s goal is to improve safety in the tugboat industry by phasing current tugboat crews off the deck and into locations where they can oversee retrofitted ships complete automated tasks and step in when necessary.
Each control desk located on shore controls a single tug boat. These desks can be grouped into pods of four, making it easier for each tug boat operator to communicate with those around them.
ATLAS aims to keep traditional tug boat workers in the industry by making their skills transferable to the new system. The user interface is a reflection of onboard screens that could presently be found aboard modern day tugboats. By keeping patterns recognizable to tugboat captains, onboarding users will be much more fluid.
