The US Patent and Trademark Office has issued a patent for an application that will allow you to control a yacht remotely from your smartphone.
A patent application, entitled «Remote Motion Control with Wireless Mobile Device», was filed in 2013. It is now registered on behalf of Apple and Savant Systems. The latter makes home automation systems and is known for its work on Steve Jobs' Venus yacht.
The patent describes an iPhone-like touchscreen device and an app for it that allows remote control of the movement of a vehicle, including a maritime vehicle such as a yacht.
The application communicates via a wireless network with an interface (e.g. a server) which is connected to the ship's electronic control system, where all information about the operation of the ship's subsystems (throttle controllers, transmission, rudders) and environmental conditions (depth recorded by sensors, wind speed, etc.) is processed.
Based on these data, the user can remotely control the boat through a mobile app, which sends the command to the server. The server forwards the command to the electronic control system which in turn relays the command to the boat's propulsion subsystems.
Steve Jobs' Venus Megayacht was designed by Philippe Starck and built at Feadship. Jobs passed away in October 2011 and his yacht was unveiled a year later. Its value amounted to $112 million.
