Sharing Ideas at the Superyacht Technology Summit in Barcelona

Last week I attended the Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) conference, which was being held in Barcelona for the first time, to give a presentation on the latest cyber security threats at The Superyacht Technology Summit.

The city was abuzz with activity and life as several conferences were being hosted at the same time. Just a few weeks after most restrictions have been lifted, the crowds were back, people’s faces were visible, the tourist attractions were open and it was as if the past two years have been shrugged off as we quickly picked up where we left off.

The conference was huge, with impressive stands from big name providers like Samsung and Crestron and numerous other well-known AVIT providers gathered to present their latest models and innovations.

Unlike the superyacht conference in October last year, the crowd wasn’t made up of only suppliers and vendors for the yachting industry, but also professionals from a range of other sectors. There was a clear overlap of capabilities in the room fuelling ideas and debate which created a great atmosphere across the whole event.

I was one of seven speakers on the day and, true to the spirit of the Superyacht Technology Network, the talks were varied and balanced, covering everything from the process of building a new yacht using AV technology to, of course, the latest threats around cyber security and superyachts.

While we were at an event focussing on the latest technology, I decided to focus my presentation on human interaction with technology. More specifically, how we as humans are not evolving quickly enough to be able to defend ourselves from ever more sophisticated cyber attacks, and how our belief systems are being influenced by the overwhelming deluge of information available on the web. See my previous article on the relevance of Predator Theory to cyber security and superyachts.

This also affects the yachting sector as it is often on the cutting edge of new technologies and as global tensions rise, putting superyachts in the spotlight, we are seeing a rise in threats.

My message to the audience was that we need to be secure and private by design. We are starting to see some signs of collaboration, even with some of the big tech companies, and this collective mindset, where we all collaborate to share ideas and solutions will ultimately benefit us all.

What struck me most at ISE was the number and scale of screens and the scope of tech under development, with everything from LED technology to screen embedded sensors that enhance interactivity by detecting movements and facial expressions.

The future of cinema on board yachts was demonstrated very well by one of the speakers. With the latest LED technology, screens are becoming ever more compact and the quality of the displays negates the need for darkened rooms and bulky projectors.

Meanwhile, audio speakers are being built into the fabric of the yacht or environment and myriad software/applications are emerging to enhance different aspects of the user experience. Another key theme was the drive towards sustainable resources to reduce the environmental impact of superyachts. 

The superyacht industry has traditionally been very inward-looking, and I applaud the organisers of the SYT Summit for bringing yachting into a broader tech arena so we can all learn and share ideas that benefit businesses and the wider industry – an ambition clearly stated by Jack Robinson, Director of the Superyacht Technology Network,  in his closing speech.

By all accounts, the SYT Summit was just a taste of what’s to follow at the SYT Conference at the World Trade Centre Barcelona in October, a two day event including exhibits, tech talks, networking and hospitality.

For all your cyber security and digital privacy needs contact the experts at Pelion Consulting.