Sonardyne Tests Autonomous Vehicles Navigation for UK MOD
of the UK’s Defense Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL), amounting to £2.1 million ($2.6 million) in funding. The awards are part of the Autonomy in a Dynamic World competition, launched last year, which aims to address factors that affect the military effectiveness of current autonomous technologies.DASA project manager Helen Mullender said, “The work being funded is to mature autonomous systems with the capability to operate on demand, under all conditions that may be encountered. Military operations are undertaken in all kinds of challenging environment. The inclusion of autonomous
Remotely Operated Vehicles: Thinking out of the Box
EV ROV made the headlines, what SMD launched was a technology suite, rather than a single ROV, based on an open-electric framework for whatever shape vehicle is required and that can be adapted for a variety of tethered or untethered operations.Mark Collins, SMD’s Director for Remote and Autonomous Technologies, says four years’ work has gone into the design, which will be available as a product this year [2020] – but will also to be used as a harness for other form factor systems, such as AUVs because of its modularity.Key was going all-electric, using an in-house designed 25kW DC
NOAA, Ocean Infinity Form Research Partnership
and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office to develop new tools for ultra-high-resolution ocean exploration and mapping.The four-year Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) between Ocean Infinity and NOAA's Ocean Exploration and Research (OER) will aim to expand deepwater autonomous technologies that will help advance the transmission of ocean information and develop new data-collection and processing methods to increase the value and relevance of deep-ocean data. A key focus, NOAA said, will be advancing telepresence or the transmission of ocean video and information in real-time
SMD Introduces New Work Class ROV
is built to accept AI command technology.SMD has been subjecting the newly developed technologies and the new vehicle to a thorough testing program that will continue over the coming months. First deliveries are expected to begin in 9-12 months.Mark Collins, SMD’s Director for Remote and Autonomous Technologies has been involved throughout the development process “We have been listening to what our customers and the industry want and using our extensive real world, and sometimes painful experience, we’ve developed a new product range which has their needs at its very core. We have really
Subsea: The Future of Unmanned Vehicles
.The Path AheadWhile there are obvious differences between AUVs and ROVs, some like Kinnaman of Greensea see the lines of differentiation blurring, particular as autonomy evolves.“Autonomy and integration technologies are the main (technology) drivers,” said Kinnaman. “Autonomous technologies in ROV systems are driving us to reconsider how we crew offshore operations, enabling plans involving resident systems, and opening the option of keeping crews on the beach versus offshore. Autonomous technologies are also enabling the adoption of subsea vehicles and marine robotic
Mapping the Future
.And how will your product ultimately help maritime users?Development in automated data processing and development of information products will ultimately benefit maritime users. We are working towards faster and more efficient ways of delivering products to end users and general public.Maritime autonomous technologies are evolving rapidly. Our team concept is unique as it utilizes a new class of surface vessel that can transport, deploy and retrieve underwater data collection vehicles. This represents a tremendous leap forward in autonomous technology because it provides high resolution deep ocean mapping
Machines Infused with AI that Fly, Swarm and Dive
Can mimicking insect behavior provide a way to map the ocean floor? Can robotic-controlled flying and diving drones be both bird-like and fish-like in the race to explore the ocean depths? As a global group of 19 semi-finalist teams in the Shell Ocean Discovery XPRIZE compete to create innovative autonomous technologies to image and chart the unknown in a cold, dark and hull-crushing undersea world at depths down to 4,000 meters, we look to the innovation that will advance our understanding of our planet. In exploring the deep ocean, we’re seeing that new robotic approaches can open
RoboSub Competition: 20 Years of Fun and Learning
extend the air, surface, underwater and ground vehicle capabilities of the Navy and Marine Corps, as shown in recent exhibitions like Unmanned Warrior and the S2ME2 ANTX [Ship-to-Shore Maneuver Exploration and Experimentation Advanced Naval Technology Exercise]. "As unmanned and autonomous technologies advance, the Navy will continue to improve the science behind autonomous vehicles," said Deitz. "We hope today's RoboSub participants will become those engineers, and contribute great ideas and innovative concepts about what the next unmanned systems will look like and how they
Voices: Sean Halpin
. Remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) are an excellent example of this. Once considered fringe tools, ROVs now dominate the robotics oil and gas subsea landscape. Discuss how autonomous systems are evolving from ‘novel’ systems to workhorses. Over the past years marine autonomous technologies have matured to the point where robots have transformed from novel systems to industry workhorses. From ROVs to autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) to unmanned surface vehicles (USVs), these systems have been gone through years of sea trials, global missions and have been used across to
When It Comes to Inspiring Innovation, 'X' Marks the Spot
Orteig kick-started the private aviation industry; and, the Ansari XPrize won in 2004 started the private space flight industry, now valued in excess of $3bn. The Shell Ocean Discovery XPRIZE, launched in December 2015, is a $7 million competition incentivizing teams to develop autonomous technologies for high-resolution deep-sea floor mapping and high-definition imagery. One of the recognized market failures in mapping the deep-sea (or, in fact, in collecting any meaningful and extensive data at scale from the deep-sea) has been the expense of operating vessels at sea. The Shell Ocean
