Preventing recreational boating fatalities and serious injuries with: The ANN (Assistant Naval Navigator) System Enterprise

Because of the significant increase in motor vehicle fatalities due to texting while driving, several US States are implementing or drafting laws that will outright ban the use of handheld devices (“I” and cell Phones, pads, business communicators, etc.) while operating a motor vehicle. At the same time, US recreational boaters already are burdened with high numbers of fatal and injurious accidents, and are being encouraged to navigate using Internet-based APPs that require texting. Our analyses of trends in recent US Coast Guard's (USCG's) Boating Statistics¹ seem to support that accidents due to inattention are on the rise. Specifically, owner/operator inattention is causing a higher number of collisions with other recreational boats and these are accompanied by a related rise in fatalities per collision. This observation is in-line with the US Dept. of Transportation findings that texting while driving leads to more violent accidents; therefore, more fatalities/accident. Review of recent years of USCG Boating Statistics (2004 thru 2012, subsequent to the beginning of the fuel crisis) yielded several interesting conclusions. Using data 2012 as a benchmark, there were 4,515 recreational boating accidents resulting in 651 fatalities. In 73% of these fatal accidents, the owner/operators had no USCG approved instruction. Also alarming, in 13% of the 4515 accidents the cause was owner/operator inattention. Add to this, in 1010 accidents of the 4,515, these involved a collision with another recreational boat! (That's over 22% of the total accidents). It's shocking to realize that the number of moms, dads, young men and women and children that are dying and seriously injured per year, while enjoying this recreational activity, was nearly equaled the yearly US troop losses and serious injuries during the Iraq war. Over 10 years ago we began our design effort by assembling a team of experts having experience with on-water Emergency Response, and marine-related technologies. By then, the author and his direct associate had accumulated more than 70 years of successful installation and start-up of computer-based control systems for very large and small processes. The applications included major metals, chemical, plastics, ore-processing, underground coal mining industries, as well as, a medical enterprise application. We envisioned how the vessel navigation process may be adapted to feedforward/feedback control system architecture in real time. Proceeding on this basis, our team met frequently with system integrators, boat and engine manufacturers, Boat Owners Association of the US (BoatUS) Execs, towing station owner/operators and US Coast Guard Certified “A” Captains and pilots. In these meetings, our goal continued to focus on a plan for applying advanced control theory to enhance marine vessel navigation. This plan is now in readiness for productization — a viable, developed and US Patented ² system with primary missions of life-saving and/serious injury prevention. Think of it! Based on our in-depth studies, we project that implementation of our ANN System will reduce the annual average of 750 recreational boating fatalities by 30% (225 fatalities)! That's the equivalent of 6 City Transit buses filled with Moms, Dads, Children, Men and Women able to go on living their life as though nothing happened — just a very enjoyable boat cruise.