Rovco has secured Innovate UK funding to develop a 3D visualisation system as part of a two-part Artificial Intelligence demonstrator project potentially worth GBP 1 million. Working in partnership with the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult, the first phase of the project will see Rovco develop the equipment and software required to produce live 3D data from challenging and extreme subsea environments.
The technology will be trialled and tested at ORE Catapult’s renewable energy test facility in Blyth. Phase two will include the development of a complete 3D vision-based survey solution using Artificial Intelligence (AI). The technology could reduce offshore inspection costs by up to 80%, exploiting recent advances in both camera technology and embedded graphic processing, while utilising small, intelligent, autonomous robotic vehicles. The first phase of the project will be 70% supported by Innovate UK, and the remaining 30% will be funded by Rovco. The planned phase two is expected to be further backed by Innovate UK once technical feasibility is proven. ORE Catapult will provide access to its marine energy testing facilities and will assist in the delivery of project outputs to a wide range of end users.
