Students and commercial clients now have access to the latest in
state-of-the-art simulation training technology thanks to a $1.4 million
upgrade at the Australian Maritime College, a specialist institute of the
University of Tasmania.
The upgrade includes the world’s first installation of Panasonic’s
ultra-high resolution 4K Full Mission Bridge Simulation Projection System,
providing users with unparalleled realism.
“This upgrade provides a higher level of immersion in the simulator,” AMC
Centre for Maritime Simulations Manager Damien Freeman said. “The image is clearer, brighter and more colourful with less visible
pixels, so the user experiences a more realistic perception of the simulated
environment.”
A
MC National Centre for Ports and Shipping Director Professor Thanasis
Karlis said the $660,000 projection system was part of a multi-stage upgrade
which included the installation of two 360-degree tug simulators plus new
desktop simulator software specialising in liquid cargo handling and engine
room operations.
“These significant upgrades have allowed us to reconfigure the Centre for
Maritime Simulations to meet the changing needs of our clients and students,
and we’re pleased to be able to offer them the most advanced simulation
training experience in the world,” Professor Karlis said.
“Our facilities are used for maritime human factors research and
investigation into port development, ship manoeuvring, and improving ship and
port safety. They also help bridge the gap between theory and practice in the
training of ship masters and deck officers. The upgraded Panasonic projector
system enhances that capability and ensures AMC continues to be a leader in
maritime simulation.”
An interactive 60-inch electronic chart table has also been developed
in-house to record training sessions in the ship simulator and provide clients
with debriefing capabilities. The final stage of the upgrade will be the
installation of a standalone touchscreen engine room simulator expected to come
online mid-2016.
Mr Freeman said that touchscreen technology was a recent advancement for
training simulators and would allow for a more tailored experience.
“The advantages of having touchscreen and computer displays are that you
can load a variety of different engines and bring them up to do type-specific
training. So the students will be virtually trained using the engines they
encounter in the real world,” he said.
“The major benefit of using simulators is they allow you to do high-risk
and contingency training. If you get something wrong and the engine seizes we
can just reset the exercise. You can’t do that in real life.”
TECH FACTS
·
The Panasonic projectors
are the world’s lightest 3-chip DLP laser projectors with 4K resolution
available today, offering unprecedented image quality;
·
AMC’s set-up uses five
projectors that each produce 10,000lm brightness and a 20,000:1 contrast ratio;
·
Images are sent from a
computer in a remote server room via HDMI to a Lightware HDBaseT Transmitter.
The signal is then converted and transmitted 30 metres via CAT6 cable directly
to each projector;
·
The images are projected
on to a 240-degree, 7.2 metre radius by 4.5 metre tall cylindrical screen and
viewed from the cabin of the main bridge ship simulator.
ABOUT THE CENTRE FOR MARITIME
SIMULATIONS
The Australian Maritime College’s Centre for Maritime Simulations features
some of the world’s most advanced simulation equipment, including:
·
Full-mission ship’s
bridge simulator;
·
Two 360-degree tug
simulators;
·
Advanced dynamic
positioning bridge simulator;
·
Six basic dynamic
positioning simulators;
·
Six ship operations
cubicles and an 18-seat electronic chart display lab.
The simulator database includes most Australian and New Zealand ports, as
well as Malaysia, Indonesia and areas of Europe. AMC also provides regular
pilot simulation training to maritime organisations such as TasPorts, Newcastle
Ports Corporation, Rio Tinto, Port Kembla, Southport (NZ), TT Line, Woodside
Energy and Port Nelson.
