Vancouver-based North Pacific Yachts, an international yacht manufacturer, is exploring an entirely new way to integrate wearable tech into the boater’s suite of onboard electronics.
Working with New Haven, Conn.-based agency of record Gem Advertising, North Pacific was given the opportunity to use Google Glass to showcase how the next generation of technology will affect a captain’s ability to check engine information, electronics and navigation while underway.
Seen through a YouTube video, North Pacific and Gem demonstrate just a few of the possibilities of enhancement afforded by Google’s new wearable device.
“Boating publications love to talk about new electronics coming into the helm of today’s vessels,” Gem Advertising chief strategy officer Peter Kozodoy said in a statement. “But no one has yet to reach the promised land, where technology can leave the helm and travel with the captain wherever s/he goes.”
The new field of technology will allow captains unprecedented freedom as they gain the ability to pilot from anywhere on the vessel, checking an engine’s operational efficiency while making a sandwich in the galley, Kozodoy said.
“Since North Pacific Yachts is so focused on both a high level of customer service and a yacht constructed for the savvy owner-operator, it is a perfect fit for the pending worldwide release of Google’s latest new gadget,” he said.
In the newly released web video, Gem Advertising showcases Google Glass from the perspective of the captain, utilizing the optical head-mounted display to get a literal first-person perspective of the helm.
The eyeglass unit displays information in a smartphone-like, hands-free format that communicates with on-board technology via voice commands and Bluetooth.
“When Gem approached us with the idea of using Google Glass for navigation and other boat management systems, I was intrigued to see how it would work,” said Trevor Brice, owner of North Pacific Yachts. “Most navigational systems now come with Wi-Fi adapters that should make integrating Google Glass fairly easy.”
“Some manufacturers are already computerizing all of the vessel controls and monitoring, which means Google Glass could also potentially be used to start and stop equipment and monitor all systems while the owner is on board or away from the boat,” Brice said. “It will be very interesting to see in the next few years how far consumers will want to see their boats’systems integrated this way and how boat manufacturers will respond.”
