Berlin, August 4 – A new era of urban logistics is on the horizon for Berlin as a project focusing on autonomous electric ships for parcel delivery progresses. These innovative vessels are designed to navigate the city’s extensive network of canals and rivers, significantly reducing the burden on road infrastructure and contributing to a greener urban environment.
Autonomous Ships: A Solution for Urban Logistics
The A-SWARM II research project, a collaborative effort led by TU Berlin, is developing a system where small, yellow, solar-powered boats glide autonomously over Berlin’s waterways. These ships are equipped to detect obstacles and independently navigate to various docking stations. What makes this project particularly innovative is their ability to link up into larger formations for longer distances, then separate again as they approach their destinations. This ‘swarm’ concept optimizes energy consumption and efficiency.
Project leader Gerd Holbach, a professor for Design and Operation of Maritime Systems, highlights the historical significance of Berlin’s waterways, which once played a crucial role in supplying the city. “Berlin has been supplied by water for decades,” Holbach states. The goal is not to shift all freight traffic to water but to utilize these routes for the ‘last but one mile’ of delivery, thereby alleviating city streets.
How the System Works: From Hub to Last-Mile Delivery
The delivery process begins at distribution centers located on the outskirts of Berlin. Here, parcels are loaded into standardized interchangeable containers. These containers are designed to fit seamlessly onto both the autonomous boats and electric cargo bikes. Upon arrival at a docking station, an automated handling system lifts the entire container ashore, where a courier can then take over for the final delivery stage within the surrounding district.
This method eliminates the need for re-sorting individual packages at the waterfront, streamlining the logistics chain. According to project calculations, this system could reach between 1 and 1.8 million Berlin residents within a five-kilometer radius of the transfer points, provided suitable locations along the waterways are established.
Technological Advancements and Future Prospects
Beyond autonomous navigation, the project focuses on automated loading and unloading processes to ensure economic viability. The team is developing compact handling stations, roughly the size of a six-meter container, which include sensors, a gripping system, and charging technology for the batteries. These enclosed stations protect both personnel and equipment and require minimal fixed infrastructure, allowing for flexible relocation if needed.
The autonomous boats are designed to operate individually or as a connected swarm. For longer journeys, a stronger boat can push several smaller vessels, conserving energy. Within the city, the swarm disbands, and individual boats navigate to specific areas like Spandau, the city center, or Köpenick. A magnetic system facilitates the centimeter-precise docking and undocking maneuvers, replacing traditional manual mooring methods.
A digital control system continuously monitors each vessel, tracking its location, charge status, and maintenance needs. This system also determines which boat undertakes an order and where units can efficiently couple, ensuring timely arrivals with minimal power consumption.
TU Berlin is leveraging its expertise in maritime system technology, cargo integration, energy supply, and logistics for the digital control of these autonomous boats. The project is also exploring various container types and charging methods to accommodate different cargo requirements, such as cooling for food or specialized securing for fragile items.
Current Status and Challenges Ahead
Test runs are already underway in Berlin’s Westhafen, where the first vehicles are learning to perceive their surroundings, avoid obstacles, and dock with other units. DHL, which already uses electric, solar-powered ships for parcel transport in Berlin (though not autonomously), is contributing its experience to the development.
Before full-scale implementation, several legal questions remain. While regulations for self-driving cars are emerging, comparable rules for autonomous inland vessels in urban environments are still lacking. Permits for docking stations, transshipment points, and automated operations also need to be clarified.
Despite these challenges, Holbach views this additional transport route as a crucial future strategy: “If we want to relieve the streets, reduce emissions, and use logistics areas more efficiently, we have to rethink all existing transport routes. Water is part of that.”
Key Takeaways:
- The A-SWARM II project by TU Berlin develops electric, autonomous ships for parcel transport on Berlin’s waterways.
- The system aims to relieve road traffic, reduce emissions, and utilize existing infrastructure more efficiently.
- Boats can form swarms for energy efficiency and autonomously transfer cargo containers to cargo bikes at transshipment points.
- Test operations until the end of 2027 will evaluate navigation, coupling, automated loading/unloading, and digital control.
Source: https://www.fr.de/wissen/ein-schwarm-autonomer-schiffe-so-sollen-berliner-kueftig-ihre-pakete-bekommen-zr-94428542.html
