How to make the invisible visible? At the Genoa International Boat Show we worked alongside SAIM Spa to explain, clearly and engagingly, how the OPMS (On-board Power Management System) works: a system that automatically manages loads and energy sources on board a yacht. A powerful device but, by its nature, “abstract” and hard to demonstrate live. Mixed Reality overcomes this limit by turning the system into an interactive, concrete, and memorable experience.

The context: why it’s hard to explain power management

The OPMS orchestrates multiple sources (generators, battery, photovoltaic panels, shore power pedestal) and automatically balances and powers the onboard “hotel” loads. In a traditional demo, all this remains confined to charts or diagrams. In MR, instead, the system’s states, flows, and logical choices become space, light, and action.

Metagate’s solution for SAIM

We built a Mixed Reality setup that recreates a yacht’s energy ecosystem:

• Physical/holographic energy sources: two generators, a battery bank, a solar panel, and a shore power pedestal.
• “Talking” cables: each element is connected to the virtual OPMS case by cables that light up to show, in real time, which source is feeding energy based on the mode selected on the OPMS MR monitor.
• Holographic yacht: from the OPMS an additional cable runs to the digital yacht; here visitors can activate the hotel services (air conditioning, lights, amenities) and simulate different load levels.

The result is a clear representation: when the user changes scenario (connected to shore, high load, cruising), the OPMS reacts. The simulation shows which source kicks in, how battery charging is prioritised or its deployment to support peaks, and the logic behind the balancing.

What the visitor experiences

1. Select a mode on the OPMS MR monitor.
2. Watch the flows: the cables light up from the battery or generators toward the OPMS, or from the shore pedestal, according to the defined priorities.
3. Activate loads on the yacht: increase the hotel load and see the OPMS change strategy, for example switching from charging to battery discharge, or engaging a support generator.

The technology “disappears” behind a visual narrative: concepts like priorities, thresholds, transitions, and failover become intuitive sequences, understandable even to a non-technical audience.

Full scale 1:1: from concept to clearance checks (on yachts every millimetre counts)

We chose to represent all elements at 1:1 scale. This makes the experience not only educational but also design-oriented: on board, where spaces are tight and layered, being able to see and move generators, batteries, OPMS, panels and the shore pedestal at their real size allows assessment of clearances, pathways, and opening radii before building or dismantling anything.

In practice, the assets become a modular puzzle: you place them, rotate them, and “slot” them in until each component finds its home without conflicts with bulkheads, lockers, plumbing, or cable trays. This approach accelerates:

• Clash detection (physical interferences) in pre-sale or refit phases.
• Ergonomics and maintenance (space for filter extraction, disassembly, spares).
• Cable routing and ventilation, often overlooked in 2D views.
• Shared decision-making between technician, sales, and owner, all on the same MR “twin”.

Result: fewer surprises in the yard, shorter installation times, faster decisions, and an electrical layout optimised to the millimetre — as yachting demands.

Why this is an effective case study

• Didactic clarity: MR removes the abstraction of diagrams and makes visible the OPMS’s decisions.
• Trust and transparency: SAIM can demonstrate the value of automatic load control without dismantling a real system.
• Trade-show-proof engagement: the experience is replicable, scenic, and works even in noisy, crowded environments like a boat show.
• Faster purchase decisions: those who try the experience immediately grasp the benefits and differences compared to less integrated solutions.

Impact on the yachting sector

Making energy management “visible” means raising the bar of technical communication on board: shipyards, refitters, and owners can evaluate electrification and hybrid strategies with an immediate understanding of the trade-offs between range, comfort, space, and sustainability. It’s a concrete step toward more efficient and smarter yachts.

Other application areas in this domain, in our view:

• in training, scenario simulations, and maintenance
• in entertainment: imagine reliving a naval battle right where it happened!

Conclusions

A sincere thank-you to SAIM for the trust and for the opportunity to present a mixed experience at an international event of the calibre of the Genoa Boat Show. It was thrilling to see such an engaged and determined SAIM team, and to collect the positive reactions of the end users, who perceived a higher value of the OPMS and complimented us on the quality of the experience.

We couldn’t have asked for more: a project that combines technical clarity, visual impact, and concrete usefulness.