University of Tokyo Startup WOGO Selected for Ehime Prefecture DX Project "Triangle Ehime 2.0"; Co-creating a Sustainable Future for Ehime, a Maritime City, with the World's First AI Collision Avoidance Platform for Small and Medium Commercial Vessels

WOGO Inc. (Headquarters: Tokyo, Representative Director: Jingchao Qin, hereinafter "WOGO"), a developer of AI solutions, is pleased to announce its selection as a new implementation project for fiscal year 2026 (Reiwa 8) in "Triangle Ehime 2.0," a digital implementation acceleration project promoted by Ehime Prefecture.

In this project, WOGO will launch the "Ship Collision Avoidance AI System Development Project for Ehime's Maritime Industry." Utilizing Ehime Prefecture, which forms one of Japan's leading maritime clusters, as its stage, WOGO will implement an AI system specializing in "small and medium commercial vessels x collision avoidance," a global white space in the maritime DX domain, which has so far only been available to major shipping companies.

What is the Digital Implementation Acceleration Project "Triangle Ehime 2.0"?

"Triangle Ehime" is a digital implementation acceleration project launched by Ehime Prefecture in fiscal year 2022 (Reiwa 4) to solve regional issues and revitalize industries. It supports the rapid social implementation of cutting-edge technologies (AI, IoT, robots, etc.) held by startups nationwide to address challenges such as "labor shortages" and "analog operational environments" faced by industries within the prefecture, from primary industries to manufacturing and tourism.

Starting in fiscal year 2025 (Reiwa 7), it has been updated to "Triangle Ehime 2.0." This is an advanced initiative that aims to build a sustainable regional DX model by strongly promoting not only single demonstration experiments but also reliable "establishment" in the field and "horizontal deployment" to industries within the prefecture.

Official Website: https://dx-ehime.jp/

Background of the Project's Launch

Domestic shipping, the backbone of Japan's domestic logistics, is facing an aging seafarer population, a severe shortage of successors, and the resulting intensification of working conditions. Vessels under 499 gross tons are forced to operate 24 hours a day with a minimum crew of five, and statistically, 77.8% of maritime accidents are caused by "insufficient lookout."

Ehime Prefecture, in particular, faces challenging navigation conditions, including the Kurushima Strait, one of the world's three major currents, and is exposed to an estimated 30-60 collision risks annually throughout the prefecture. Maritime accidents, once they occur, result in immense financial impacts for small and medium-sized shipping companies, with losses of billions to tens of billions of yen in vessel value, plus operational losses of approximately 30 million yen per day, meaning several years' worth of revenue can be lost from a single accident.

However, existing autonomous navigation platforms offered by major overseas companies incur enormous annual costs in the tens of millions of yen and have excessive functions designed for large container ships. This poses a structural challenge, as they are inaccessible to small and medium-sized businesses, which account for 99.7% of Japan's domestic shipping industry (with IT investment levels about 1/10th of large corporations).

Overview of WOGO's "Ship Collision Avoidance AI System"

WOGO offers an edge-processing "AI-Camera Integrated System" that operates onboard, addressing this market whitespace.

AI-powered 24-hour lookout assistance: A proprietary AI analyzes real-time video from a zoom, 180-degree camera installed at the bow. Even in environments where visual observation is extremely difficult, such as at night, in rough weather, or in narrow waterways, it automatically detects and identifies small fishing boats, fishing nets, and buoys that cannot be captured by radar or AIS (Automatic Identification System).

Multifaceted data integration: Integrates ship navigation data (speed, heading, wind direction and speed) and surrounding information to predict collision risks.

Intuitive alert issuance: When a risk is detected, it immediately warns the navigator via a monitor on the bridge, supporting appropriate avoidance maneuvers.

Future Outlook: Integration with Local Ecosystem and Contribution to Sustainable Regional DX

This project will begin with implementation on the vessels operated by core partners Dai-O Kaiun Co., Ltd. (currently undergoing paid demonstration) and Misuka Kaiun Co., Ltd. WOGO will accumulate unique real-world video data specific to Japan in actual sea conditions, establishing high detection accuracy and superiority unattainable by general-purpose AI.

Furthermore, for system assembly, wiring, and installation, WOGO will work closely with BEMAC Corporation and Sankyo Engineering Co., Ltd., leading companies in Ehime's world-renowned local maritime industry. This will create an ecosystem that generates revenue for local businesses within the commercial flow and directly contributes to the Ehime economy.

In the future, WOGO plans to expand cooperation with maritime operators, local governments, and regional fisheries cooperatives within Ehime Prefecture to strongly promote AI-assisted safe ship operation. The goal is to expand the system to a cumulative total of 20-30 vessels within the prefecture by fiscal year 2028 (Reiwa 10), while also deeply contributing to the realization of sustainable regional DX through increased productivity in Ehime's proud maritime industry and the cultivation of next-generation maritime digital talent.

About WOGO Inc.

WOGO Inc. is a startup that aims to develop Japan's first and only solutions, leveraging advanced technologies such as 3D and AI. The company is challenging the transformation of the maritime and shipbuilding industries, which support Japan's logistics infrastructure, by extending its advanced image processing and image recognition technologies, cultivated through DX solutions for the manufacturing industry and robot implementation, to the maritime domain.

【Company Profile】

Established: January 2021

Representative Director: Jingchao Qin

Business Overview: Development and provision of DX solutions for the manufacturing industry

URL: https://www.wogo.ai/

Head Office Location: HB Hirakawacho Building 2F, 2-8-9 Hirakawacho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

【Contact Information for Inquiries】

WOGO Inc. welcomes interviews on the following topics, in addition to this matter. Please feel free to contact us.

What is the next-generation design review support system that detects design errors instantly by simply adding it as an add-in to existing 3D CAD, challenged by a University of Tokyo startup?

WOGO's technology strategy to automate the design and development process of the manufacturing industry within five years through the fusion of 3D geometric algorithms and AI.

The potential of "3DxAI" to eliminate rework in Japan's manufacturing industry, as told by the development team that achieved the world's first 2D to 3D automatic conversion.

WOGO Inc. Public Relations: Katsuyuki Honda

E-mail: honda.katsuyuki@wogo.ai