Robosys Automation has launched the VOYAGER AI Simulator, a maritime simulation environment designed to work directly with the company’s VOYAGER AI Autonomous Navigation System. Unveiled at Oceanology International 2026 in London, the simulator is positioned as a tool for testing, validation and mission planning for autonomous and remotely operated vessels by building a virtual twin of a vessel or unmanned surface vessel and running it through realistic operational conditions before any sea trials.

 

Digital Twin Modelling for Engines Sensors and Navigation Inputs

 

The simulator is designed to create digital representations of vessels that include engine behaviour, sensor outputs and navigation data streams. This allows teams to evaluate autonomy performance against the same classes of inputs the real system will receive, which is important because autonomy failures often arise from sensor limitations, integration edge cases and unexpected interactions between subsystems rather than from the core navigation algorithm alone.

 

Traffic Complexity and COLREGs Behaviour Testing

 

A key focus is the ability to model multiple vessel tracks and test complex traffic scenarios in a controlled synthetic environment. The simulator is intended to support quantitative analysis of collision avoidance behaviour and to test COLREGs compliance in realistic maritime settings, addressing a central barrier to deployment where operators and regulators need confidence that autonomous decision-making aligns with accepted rules of the road under a wide range of encounter types.

 

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Shore Based Training Mission Rehearsal and Live Data Ingestion

 

Robosys positions the simulator as useful for shore-based simulation and immersive testing, including the ability to ingest live maritime traffic data and augment it into training and test scenarios. This approach can help teams rehearse missions, stress-test edge cases and build operational procedures for remote operations without exposing vessels to real-world risk during early development and validation.

 

Tooling for Rapid Scenario Setup and Remote Piloting Integration

 

The simulator includes an electronic navigational chart display for accurate environmental context and offers drag-and-drop scenario creation to speed up test setup. It also supports remote piloting testing and integration with third-party hardware controllers, aiming to make simulated operations closer to the ergonomics and workflow of real control rooms. The platform is described as supporting higher levels of autonomous vessel testing, including operations aligned with Degree 4 autonomy where a vessel can conduct most functions without continuous human control.

 

Why This Matters for Scaling Autonomous Vessels

 

The simulator is framed as a synthetic environment that helps developers, operators and regulators evaluate autonomous navigation behaviour earlier and more rigorously. By moving more validation and mission rehearsal into high-fidelity simulation, the approach aims to reduce time and cost spent on risky sea trials, improve safety by exposing failure modes earlier, and accelerate deployment by creating a clearer evidence trail for how autonomy performs across a broad range of conditions and traffic situations.