Finding a spare part, completing maintenance records or navigating a ship’s many corridors are everyday tasks where new technology could offer useful support. AIDA Cruises is exploring those possibilities with input from the people who know the work best: its crew.
Following its Innovation Hub competition, the cruise line welcomed technology company contagt onboard to examine how artificial intelligence, image recognition and augmented reality could support ship operations and help guests find their way around.
Benjamin Martin from contagt joined Carnival Maritime’s Head of Research and Development Malte Zeretzke and Analytics Engineer Elguja Lomsadze for the visit. The team explored crew areas, the engine room and public spaces while discussing practical needs with employees.
Those conversations helped identify potential uses beyond passenger navigation. Ideas included smarter route guidance for response teams, digital assistance with maintenance and documentation, and help locating spare parts onboard.
For guests, the aim is straightforward: make finding a restaurant or another public area feel easy. The most useful navigation system would require little effort to understand, allowing passengers to follow directions without having to think too much about the technology behind them.
Crew involvement brings an important practical perspective. Employees working throughout the ship can help identify where guidance is needed, which tasks take unnecessary time and how a proposed tool would fit into daily operations.
The project also raises questions about the work needed to prepare such a system, including how long it would take to walk through and map an entire ship. Moving from a successful presentation to a working onboard application means understanding the vessel’s layout and the needs of the people using it.
The visit follows contagt’s selection as the winner of the AI Tools and Smart Solutions category at the AIDA Innovation Hub in September 2026. Its indoor-navigation concept could eventually be integrated into existing digital applications, with multilingual information, accessible routes and location-based guidance.
