by Vinod Kumar CV Singapore Technologies Engineering (ST Engineering) displayed its new Autonomast system at the IMDEX 2023 naval exhibition in Changi, Singapore, held from 3 to 5 May. According to the company, the modular Autonomast is designed to convert a manned vessel into an unmanned surface vessel (USV) for autonomous missions. “[The system] integrates various mission controls and payloads for a wide range of applications … allowing vessels to manoeuvre autonomously, intelligently, and safely at sea,” said ST Engineering. The mast features customised multiple-perception medium-range and navigational radars, 360° panoramic vision day-night cameras, and sensors with collision detection and avoidance function. It is also equipped with encrypted datalinks to enable the operator to communicate with the USV via a secured datalink through Wi-Fi, Long-Term Evolution (LTE), and satellite communications. ST Engineering told Janes that a main feature of Autonomast is its artificial intelligence (AI) software, which enables smart navigation, and its obstacle detection algorithms.