Cerus is a continuation of the ATLAS System project. Cerus is the next step in the life cycle of the ATLAS System, focusing on a time period in which the retrofitted tug boats that the ATLAS System initially utilized are obsolete and no longer in production.
Design Team.
Jameson Watts
Design Researcher / Graphic / UI Designer
Benjamin Russ
Transportation Industrial Designer / Design Researcher
A demand for higher efficiency in a multi-billion dollar industry has sparked the need for Crown to split it’s focus between material handling within warehouses and harbor materials handling. ATLAS has become more than just a system; it is now a sister company to Crown. ATLAS Nautical Logistics utilizes the knowledge that Crown has been building about logistics automation to design the next step in harbor materials handling, Cerus.
Cerus is ATLAS’ newest harbor materials handling system. It consists of three parts: a team of drones (Bowheads) that have replaced conventional tug boats, an overseer who sits in a tower location to watch over the drone team, and the vessel that is to be moved into or out of the harbor.
Bowhead Drones.
Unlike tugboats of the past, which were limited by manpower, Bowhead drones work in teams of six. Each team is overseen by a single overseer who tracks their positioning and makes real-time decisions to improve efficiency and safety.
Each drone is nine meters in length, making them relatively lighter and more nimble than their tugboat counterparts. Limited weight with increased power-to-size ratio means each team of drones can move to and from vessels more efficiently than in the past.
An active communication screen on the back of each drone lets them use colors and patterns to communicate with the crew on the shipping vessel they are maneuvering, as well as be seen by other ships within the harbor.
Overseer.
A Cerus overseer sits in a chair with built in armrest controls that allow them to navigate the data on the Cerus augmented reality interface. Overseers also wear lightweight headsets to communicate with ships that their drone teams are receiving.
The Cerus overseer’s tower position gives them a birds-eye view of the materials handling processes going on in the harbor below.
The augmented reality user interface display acts as a communication device between the drones, the overseer, and the ship that is being received.
The overseer has access to estimated time frames for arriving ships as well as each drone’s predetermined path. This information gives the overseer ample time to react and reroute the drones before an unsafe event occurs.
The tracker in the bottom left of the screen gives a visual representation of time and distance until each drone on the team reaches their destination and/or finishes a specific stage in the mooring process.
Unlike those before them, Cerus overseers do not need to spend week-long shifts out at sea. Each Cerus tower hosts multiple overseers for eight hour workday shifts, improving the ability for the harbor to work quickly and efficiently with less of a chance of burnout or human error.
Visual Identity.
Concept Art.
