SEA.AI links AI detection to searchlights that follow a person overboard
by SEA.AI 24 Sep 08:44 PDT
SEA.AI and The Carlisle & Finch Co © SEA.AI
New Sentry-SmartVIEW integration enables a searchlight to lock onto and follow a target detected by SEA.AI, from a person overboard to a vessel of interest, while the crew focuses on the response. SEA.AI and The Carlisle & Finch Co. will present the integrated solution at the 2026 NMEA Conference & Expo.
SEA.AI, a pioneer in AI-powered maritime machine vision, and The Carlisle & Finch Co., which has manufactured searchlights since 1894, today announced an integration between SEA.AI's Sentry system and Carlisle & Finch's SmartVIEW Gateway. It brings together two very different kinds of expertise: proven searchlight engineering and machine vision technology.
The integration allows a vessel's searchlight to turn towards and track a target detected and classified by SEA.AI, whether a person in the water, an unlit vessel or another object of interest. Once the operator selects the target, the SmartVIEW Gateway directs the connected searchlight to its bearing and keeps the beam trained on it as it moves, using live detection and tracking data from SEA.AI.
SEA.AI is designed to detect what conventional systems and the human eye can miss. Its thermal and low-light cameras use AI-based object detection to identify people in the water, unlit craft and floating debris. Radar can struggle with small, low-profile or non-metallic objects, while AIS shows only vessels actively broadcasting their position. At night or in poor visibility, SEA.AI gives crews another set of eyes on the water.
Spotting a target is only the first step. Once Sentry has found it, the crew no longer need to chase it manually with the searchlight joystick. The light follows automatically, leaving the operator free to steer, use the radio, prepare a rescue or continue scanning the surrounding water.
On a night-time search-and-rescue mission, for example, Sentry can detect a heat signature and flag a possible person in the water. The SmartVIEW-controlled searchlight turns towards the target and holds the beam on it. Instead of searching by eye and working the joystick, the crew can manoeuvre the vessel, ready lifesaving equipment and coordinate the rescue while the casualty remains illuminated.
The same principle applies beyond emergencies. During a night patrol or security operation, a low-profile speedboat or jet ski may be difficult to spot - and harder still to follow with a hand-held searchlight. SEA.AI can maintain the track, while SmartVIEW keeps the light on the target as it changes speed and direction, allowing the crew to concentrate on what happens next.
Highlights of the integration:
- Compatible with searchlights across the full Carlisle & Finch range, from small center-console and patrol boats to large ships.
- Slew-to-cue and active tracking of any target within SEA.AI's field of view, reducing the operator workload of manually chasing a target with a joystick.
- Simple target handover: activate tracking from the SmartVIEW joystick and switches, then moves to the next target to port or starboard from the SEA.AI screen.
"It has always been hard for our customers to find an object seen on a screen with a searchlight beam - their focus torn between trying to match what's on the display with what they see out the windows. This integration removes that challenge. Once SEA.AI has a target, SmartVIEW keeps the light on it - across our entire product range, from a small-boat LED searchlight to a ship's xenon searchlight - so the operator can focus on the rest of the job." - Garth Finch, Sr. Vice President/Owner, The Carlisle & Finch Co.
"Detection only matters if it leads to action. Whether the crew is watching for a security threat, tracking another vessel, or searching for someone in the water, Sentry can spot a target before it becomes visible to the naked eye. Thanks to Carlisle & Finch's engineering, the searchlight can now follow that target automatically. That's what we mean by bringing AI to light, and it's a difference mariners will understand the moment they see it in action." - Marcus Warrelmann, CEO, SEA.AI
SEA.AI and Carlisle & Finch will present the integrated solution at the 2026 NMEA Conference & Expo. The exhibition hall will open September 29 - October 1 at the Hilton Dallas/Rockwall Lakefront in Rockwall, Texas, just outside Dallas.