Special Sessions丨特别专题

 

Special Session 3: Next Generation Autonomous Transportation Systems (新一代自主交通系统)

 

As an essential mode of transport, waterway transportation offers high capacity and low environmental impact, but its narrow channels and dense vessel traffic pose unique challenges. Frequent ship encounters under complex navigation rules can lead to congestion and risks, making it difficult to manage inland waterways efficiently. In response, emerging intelligent ships and smart infrastructure are driving a paradigm shift toward Autonomous Waterborne Transportation Systems (AWTS) to enhance safety and efficiency in waterborne transport. An AWTS integrates autonomous vessels, digital waterway infrastructure, and intelligent traffic information centres into a cohesive network for coordinated situational awareness, decision-making, and control across the system.
To support this integration, researchers are developing new architectures and methodologies. For example, a cloud-edge collaborative framework (also known as a cloud–shore–ship architecture) distributes computing and intelligence across cloud servers, shore stations, and shipboard systems. This architecture organizes autonomy into multiple levels (from system-wide supervision to zone-level coordination to individual vessel control) and defines logical, functional, and physical components into an integrated system.

Key technical challenges in AWTS include multi-vessel cooperative control and communication for collision avoidance in congested waterways, as well as real-time traffic management and navigation in confined or congested waterway with dynamic environments. Advanced AI techniques are being applied via cloud–edge collaboration including federated learning across vessels to enhance perception and decision-making capabilities. Equally important is discussing future regulations for autonomous vessels and safely integrate with conventional manned traffic. Several pioneering pilot projects worldwide from autonomous cargo ships on Chinese inland rivers to Norway coastal trials and smart port in Singapore initiatives underscore both progresses and challenges in achieving fully autonomous waterborne transportation.

 

Related Topics for this Session （but not limited to）:

** Architecture and Implementation of Autonomous Transportation Systems (ATS): Designing integrated frameworks that incorporate autonomous vehicles, vessels, and infrastructure across multiple transport modes.

** Advanced sensor technologies and AI algorithms: environmental awareness in autonomous vessels, including radar, LiDAR, cameras, and AIS for detecting obstacles, vessels, and navigational enviroments.

** AI-based decision-making frameworks for autonomous navigation: decision-making on collision avoidance, route optimization, and compliance with international maritime regulations such as COLREGs.

** Intelligent control systems: vessel maneuvering, propulsion, and stability in dynamic environments, enabling autonomous operations and real-time adjustments.

** Validation & Testing: Comprehensive methods for verifying the safety, reliability, and performance of autonomous ship systems, including simulations, real-world trials, and risk-based assessments.

** Autonomous Ship Technologies: New methodologies for autonomous navigation, collision avoidance, and formation control of unmanned ships.

** Cooperative Control and Communication: Vehicle-to-vehicle, vehicle-to-infrastructure, and ship-to-ship coordination protocols for synchronized autonomous operations with human in the loop.

** Regulatory and Safety Frameworks: Ensuring compliance of autonomous ships with international rules (e.g., IMO MASS code, COLREGs) and developing standards for safe autonomous operations.

** Case Studies and Digital Twins: Lessons learned from global trials of autonomous ships and digital waterways.

** Simulation and Digital Twins: Virtual testing environments and digital twin technology for developing and validating autonomous transportation systems.

 

Dr. Abdul Wahid, School of Navigation, Wuhan University of Technology, China

 

Dr. Abdul Wahid is a postdoctoral researcher at the School of Navigation of Wuhan University of Technology (co-supervisor: Prof. Yong Ma), whose research areas include wireless communication, physical layer security, reconfigurable intelligent surfaces, 6G technology, machine learning and intelligent autonomous systems, and has published several papers in internationally renowned journals. At present, it mainly conducts research on new generation wireless and intelligent technologies for autonomous transportation systems.

 

Assoc. Prof. Fangliang Xiao, School of Navigation, Wuhan University of Technology, China

 

Fangliang Xiao, Associate Professor at the School of Navigation, Wuhan University of Technology, holds a PhD from Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands. His primary research focuses on waterway traffic safety and security, intelligent navigation and simulation technology. He has contributed to multiple provincial and ministerial-level science and technology awards, participated in the development of one national standard, and published papers in high-level domestic and international journals such as “Navigation of China”, Ocean Engineering, Maritime Policy & Management, and Journal of Marine Science and Engineering.

 

Prof. Yong Ma, School of Navigation, Wuhan University of Technology, China

 

Yong Ma is a Professor and Ph.D. supervisor at the School of Navigation, Wuhan University of Technology. Recipient of the ‌National Outstanding Youth Science Fund. His main research interests are Intelligent ship navigation theory and technology, intelligent maritime support technology. He has led 1 National Key R&D Program project and 6 projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC). He Serve as an Associate Editor for IEEE TII.

 

Submit Method:
1, submit it via the link: http://confsys.iconf.org/submission/ictte2025 (after entering the link, click on the corresponding topic)
2, send your manuscript to ictte2016@vip.163.com with subject "Submit+Special Session-3 + Paper Title". (请通过邮件发送稿件，邮件题目：Submit+Special Session-3+Paper Title)