Marine-i has agreed to support the next stage of development for a robotic arm designed by Submarine Technology Limited (STL). STL’s innovation is a ship-based multi-axis robotic arm for autonomous operations.
It will form an integral part of a new Autonomous Synchronised Stabilised Platform (ASSP) to enable intervention tasks to be carried from Autonomous Surface Vessels (ASV). Typical intervention tasks will include equipment transfer and payload management, survey and inspection, launch and recovery.
The aim of this next stage was to develop a Remote Sensing System to allow STL’s hydraulically actuated robotic systems to achieve ‘Synchronous-Stabilisation’ without the need for data communication between the moving target and the host vessel. The Remote Sensing System will add Machine Vision to STL’s sophisticated robotic control systems. This will enable the movement of objects to be tracked. Movement data will be fed back into the control system allowing robotic arms to synchronise with the object. These could include Autonomous Underwater Vehicles, Remote Operated Vehicles, and Floating Wind Turbines.
As well as grant funding, the Marine-i team created a bespoke RD&I programme for STL’s new technology which comprised:
- Evaluation of object tracking systems
- Design and build of an object tracking system, together with modifications to the ASSP robotic arm
- Trials in the Ocean Basin at University of Plymouth COAST Lab
- Sea trials at the FaBTest site in Falmouth Bay