Bosch Rexroth is developing and testing new features that will make future offshore access systems and other applications safer and more efficient. The features also support future motion compensation demands like docking onto floating wind turbines, or ship-to-ship transfer of goods and people.In close cooperation with specialists at Bosch Corporate Research center in Renningen, Germany, various (add-on) systems, calculation and processing methods and other additional features are being developed and tested at sea. For testing the company reached out to Vroon. Their VOS Start, a ‘Walk-To-Work’ vessel, has a Barge Master gangway on board, which was for this occasion equipped with the required cameras and sensors.
Applying radar, LIDAR, camera’s and motion reference units for retrieving data, connected to smart software systems that are using smart sensor fusing algorithms and machine learning, offshore access systems will see and learn their relative position to the docking area. Feeding this input into a gangway’s control system will enable future offshore access systems to autonomously find, approach and dock in exactly the right spot.