[joey_bob]

> Boats have had a higher level of autonomy than cars for a while.

This is really a mixed bag - some categories of vessels have had more advanced navigation systems for decades, but on the the other hand a family minivan is about two decades ahead of a bowrider that goes for about same price when it comes to autonomy.

More directly addressing the article - marine autonomy is an easier problem technically, but there is a significant market problem. Aside from water taxis, there is not the same compelling economic case for autonomous small boats as there is for commuter cars.

Disclaimer: I work on ADAS systems for recreational boats.

[throwaway0a5e]

The difference between a 50k 4Runner and a 50k boat is that while both are status symbols to show off you don't expect to be minimally engaged while operating the boat. Driving it is part of the fun.

[newman8r]

40% of the world's populations lives within 100km of a coastline [1]

I could see some applications when combining autonomous small boats with multicopters, to manage last mile delivery along the coastlines and various rivers or lakes.

[1] https://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/natlinfo/indicators/methodolo...