VBH launches Apple Watch interface for crew use on board superyachts

Van Berge Henegouwen (VBH), a Dutch technology integration business, has launched an iteration of its Pivot control application that is compatible with the Apple Watch especially for use on board superyachts.

Pivot is VBH’s control application that allows users, guests and crew alike, to control on-board audio-visual, cabin environment and communications systems. VBH has announced that it has released a simplified version for use on the Apple Watch, making it ideal for streamlining crew devices on board superyachts.

Ameet Sarvaiya, chief technology officer at VBH, commented, “A captain on one of the projects that we had implemented Pivot on came to us with a desire to reduce the number of devices his crew carried.

“This new service is another step in our quest to bring the latest technologies to our customers and merge them with other on-board systems to deliver experiences that are both pleasurable and convenient.”

Sarvaiya continued, “I have been wearing the Apple Watch for roughly six months as part of the research phase to understand user interaction. What we realised was that the watch is not meant for long interaction, you don’t want to be staring at it for more than a few seconds at best.”

As a result, VBH’s Apple Watch Pivot application does not house all the features of the parent application available for smartphones and tablets. These features can be separated into two core categories; use for crew and use for owners and guests.

From the crew perspective, the application allows them to receive and respond to steward calls using push notifications, as you would a message on an iPhone. VBH has also developed a central messaging system that allows the crew to contact each other.

From the guest’s perspective, the first key feature is to call a steward via the watch. Secondly, the watch allows guests to access sequences of pre-set commands to control the superyacht’s audio-visual and environmental settings. These pre-sets include lighting, curtains and entertainment systems.

VBH will be attending this year’s Global Superyacht Forum as official event partners.

For more information, visit VBH.