Ampelmann is developing the W-type: a walk-to-work gangway for offshore wind, and the first Ampelmann system operated not from the bridge but from a remote station, over near real-time video. Before committing to that architecture, one question had to be answered with evidence: can an operator genuinely rely on what the screens show? That comes down to hard numbers, starting with latency.
Two engineers, two weeks, one uncompromising target: six FullHD RTSP streams at 60 fps on a four-screen video wall, with glass-to-glass latency under 200 milliseconds and layout switching within half a second on DNV-certified industrial hardware running Ubuntu. We built the proof of concept close to the metal and installed it together with Ampelmann, as near to the real operating environment as possible.
Working proof that remote operation over video is feasible within the safety margins the offshore industry demands, including the pitfalls mapped out before serious engineering budget was committed. Exactly what a proof of concept should do: replace assumptions with evidence, at a fraction of the cost of finding out later.
