Zoom into the Details behind ALICE SYSTEM―Design Concept Committed to Reality Part 3: ALICE Ship - Merging Jetfoil Engineering with Next-Gen Mobility
ALICE SYSTEM, showcased at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan, is a futuristic public transportation system model developed by Kawasaki leveraging its robust technological capacity and expertise related to land, sea and air transportation.
In this article, we spoke with the engineers who were in charge of designing the ALICE Ship to gain insight into the behind-the-scenes story of its development.
ALICE Ship is a hydrogen-powered, ultra-high-speed passenger vessel modeled after Jetfoil - a fully submerged hydrofoil often referred to as a “flying ship.” Designed to differentiate itself from long-distance air travel, ALICE Ship is optimized for routes of around 100 km, completing the journey in under two hours. To enhance the onboard experience, the vessel features observation seating and lounge areas, allowing passengers to enjoy the voyage in comfort. An automatic anti-collision system helps avoid floating obstacles, enabling safe and free movement throughout the ship during navigation.
This technology is particularly aimed at improving maritime mobility for residents of remote islands, who often face the burden of multiple transfers which can be physically and mentally exhausting.
To address this challenge, ALICE Ship adopts the Jetfoils hydrofoil design, which lifts the hull above the water surface, minimizing the effects of waves. This allows stable, high-speed travel with reduced risk of seasickness, even in rough conditions—offering a fast, comfortable, and stress-free maritime transport solution.
One of the key design features of ALICE Ship is a fully autonomous navigation system. This allows the space typically reserved for the cockpit located on the second floor with excellent visibility to be repurposed as an observation seating area for passengers. Also, automatic anti-collision systems are implemented as a measure to free customers from using a seat belt, a standard requirement for Jetfoil passengers, and allow them to access the lounge area and walk around on board as they wish.
For cabin docking, we are discussing several plans based on side access, similar to ALICE Rail. One idea is to use a lifting machine to raise the vessel above the water surface, which would help address issues caused by wave motion and tidal differences. Also, in the future, we need to address challenges specific to sea mobility, such as preventing salt corrosion at the connection points between the vessel and cabin.
Emergency evacuation is another challenge. Conventional life rafts require crew assistance to help elderly passengers and those with special needs to transfer safely. This problem could potentially be overcome if the ALICE SYSTEM were equipped with a function that allows the cabin to float on the sea while passengers remain in the cabin.
Energy Solution & Marine Engineering Company
Energy Solution & Marine Engineering Company
To be continued in Part 4: Voices of Designers―”What We Gained by Participating in the ALICE SYSTEM Project”
