A new Australian AI system, Lookout Plus, is helping protect whales in Sydney Harbour by detecting marine mammals and navigation hazards in real time. The trial aims to reduce ship-whale collisions, enhance vessel safety, and support marine conservation efforts.

Council of the City of Sydney

A new AI-powered system called Lookout Plus is being used in Sydney Harbour to improve the safety of whales and other marine life. The technology processes camera footage and sonar data in real time, detecting whales, boats, and navigation hazards up to five kilometres away. The system alerts crews to the presence of whales, helping them maintain safe distances—100 metres from adult whales and 300 metres from mothers with calves. 

Funded by NRMA Marine, the 12-month trial aims to reduce the estimated 20,000 annual whale-ship collisions worldwide. The technology also supports research and conservation efforts and is set to be expanded across more vessels in the Fantasy fleet during upcoming maintenance.

Australian AI tech enhances whale safety in Sydney Harbour

All aboard the Fantasy Avalon. The Qantas Avalon. Great, great. The waters of Sydney Harbour are whale watchers' delight. The snap-happy spectacle of magic moments like this is becoming safer for our marine mammals through the introduction of Aussie-made, tried-and-tested software. So, this tech is called Lookout Plus. It's a product that we use to process camera footage using AI, and we detect whales, boats and other navigation hazards. And all in real time, using underwater sonar sensors and 360-degree cameras on board to alert crews. The cameras are as far as the horizon, so if the whale's big enough in there, it can detect a kilometre up to five. We've seen up to five kilometres on some of our cameras. The number one priority is the safety of the whale. So, it's 100 metres from a adult whale at all times, and it's about 300 metres for a mother and calf. Protecting views like this is what this is all about. The tech helps the captain to navigate the humpback highway without the added pressure of collisions. It's estimated that about 20,000 whales a year get hit by ships, so we thought, how can we use the latest in AI to make the ocean a little bit safer, a little bit cleaner? It can be used for research purposes as well as conservation purposes for the whales, too. The 12-month NRMA marine-funded trial will be expanded when Fantasy's fleet of five docks for maintenance. Olivia Blunden, 10 News.

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