Imagine your Raymarine plotter picking out a floating log, an unlit buoy or a small boat without AIS before you spot it yourself. Maritronix says its latest SCOUT AI update does exactly that, with AI obstacle detection streamed straight to compatible Raymarine chartplotters over Ethernet.
The Lithuanian firm announced the update on 9 November, and it says the integration also covers selected plotters from other manufacturers. You can see it on stand 01.483 at METSTRADE in Amsterdam from 17 to 19 November.
What SCOUT AI does
SCOUT AI is a camera-based computer-vision system that runs on Maritronix’s M-Core marine computer. It takes a live feed from a compatible marine camera, then detects and classifies objects on the water and highlights them in the video. According to Maritronix, this helps the crew spot things that do not transmit AIS, or that radar and other sensors may struggle to identify.
You can also draw guard zones ahead of or around the boat, and SCOUT raises a warning when an object enters an active zone. Maritronix recommends the SIONYX Nightwave camera, which it has tested with the system. It can also confirm suitable thermal cameras on request. Day and night performance depends on the camera, the installation, light, weather, sea state and visibility.
How it connects to your plotter
With this update, the M-Core streams the annotated video to a chartplotter over Ethernet. On the plotter, SCOUT highlights detected obstacles in the video and alerts you when something enters a warning zone. Alternatively, the M-Core can output HDMI to a Maritronix monitor or any other screen with an HDMI input.
Maritronix says compatibility depends on the plotter’s make, model and installed software version. For that reason, it asks owners to email their plotter’s model number to info@maritronix.eu before buying.
Price and hardware
The M-Core with SCOUT AI pre-installed costs €2,999 excluding VAT, including a power cable and two Ethernet cables. The camera is sold separately, and Maritronix lists the SIONYX Nightwave Digital in its shop at €2,330 excluding VAT.
The computer itself is an IP65 aluminium box, 275 × 178 × 77 mm and 5.5 kg, with a 9–36 V DC input and passive cooling. It also offers NMEA 2000, NMEA 0183, Wi-Fi, HDMI and USB, plus a dedicated Android app.
Our take: check your LightHouse version first
Camera-based obstacle detection on the plotter you already own is a genuinely useful idea, especially for night passages and debris-strewn waters. However, the “plug-and-play” claim comes from Maritronix, not Raymarine. Maritronix doesn’t name which Axiom models or LightHouse versions it supports, and we found no mention of SCOUT on Raymarine’s site.
That detail matters. As we set out in LightHouse 5 – Shame on you, Raymarine!, an Axiom 2 on LightHouse 5 cannot share a network with an Axiom or Axiom+ running LightHouse 4. We have seen features split this way before, too: the CAM400 only shows its docking distance guides on an Axiom 2 with LightHouse 5.
So, if you visit the stand or email Maritronix, bring your plotter’s exact model and software version. Ask whether the stream works on LightHouse 4, LightHouse 5 or both, and whether a mixed Axiom and Axiom 2 network is supported. Finally, Maritronix itself describes SCOUT as a navigational aid that complements a proper lookout, radar and AIS, not a replacement for them.
Alternatives
SCOUT is not alone in this field. A direct competitor is SEA.AI Brain, an AI box like SCOUT that adds object detection and alarms to a camera you already have, then shows the result on a phone, tablet, computer or a chartplotter, including Raymarine Axiom displays. SEA.AI lists the Brain from €4,490 excluding VAT, without a camera. Officially it is meant for an existing ONVIF-S compatible thermal camera, and SEA.AI’s own example is the FLIR M364 series, including the pan-and-tilt M364C. So it is the same kind of system, but it is usually paired with more expensive FLIR PTZ thermal cameras than the SIONYX Nightwave Digital that Maritronix lists with SCOUT at €2,330 excluding VAT. SEA.AI (formerly OSCAR) still also sells its own complete camera units, such as Watchkeeper, Sentry and Competition, which we covered in Viking Tests WhaleSpotter: Could It Help Against Orcas?.
Source: Maritronix, SCOUT AI adds plug-and-play support for Raymarine and other chartplotters (METSTRADE exhibitor news, 9 November 2026), SCOUT product page and the METSTRADE exhibitor listing (stand 01.483).
