Engineers from the University of Edinburgh have developed new experimental tools that allow autonomous robots to maintain a steady position amid turbulent waves, with the hope it might make it cheaper, faster and safer to maintain offshore wind farms and tidal turbines.
Until now, the unpredictable nature of the sea has limited the use of robots in the upkeep of offshore platforms due to the difficulty in keeping machines stable and performing precise movements.
The team behind the new technology said that stationing autonomous robots offshore could simplify marine operations, remove the need for people to work in dangerous environments, and even reduce the cost of generating renewable energy.
To develop the system, the researchers used Edinburgh University’s FloWave testing tank, where wave data captured by a buoy in the North Sea mimicked the types of conditions the robots might work in.
By using wave-detecting devices tethered to the seafloor to measure the direction and height of incoming waves, information is relayed in real-time to robots working nearby, enabling the unmanned machine to pre-empt complex future disturbances in the water.
The results showed that the new technology improves on conventional control systems, which are prone to responding slowly to the fast-changing disturbances of the ocean, making them much less reliable in hazardous environments.
“Increasing the use of autonomous robots to help maintain offshore renewable installations could have a transformative effect on cutting the cost of producing clean energy,” said Dr Francesco Giorgio-Serchi, from the university’s School of Engineering.
“Advancing this technology further could help bring about a step change in the adoption of unmanned robots at sea and drastically increase the degree of automation in the offshore sector.”
The work is the latest example of developments in new artificial intelligence and control systems for the offshore industry, with the National Robotarium announcing their support of a similar project last month in which robots use 3D semantic mapping capabilities to create detailed maps of their underwater environment.
Away from the coasts, robots are also being used across Scotland to allow for humans to work in deadly and difficult places. In the past few months alone, a radiation detecting snakebot has been used to inspect fuel cells at the decommissioned nuclear plant in Dounreay, Edinburgh engineers revealed nanoscale robots to manage bleeds in the brain, and South Lanarkshire opened a new care facility designed around next-gen assistive robots.
Scottish robotics firms are making the most of the moment, managing to attract millions in investment. HonuWorx, for example, received a seven-figure funding boost in September for its remotely operated submarine system, while Glasgow-based Kingdom Technologies secured a fresh round of funding from the billionaire founders of Skype and Bolt for its growing fleet of robotic lawn mowers.
One of the biggest investments this year went to Leap Automation, an Aberdeen-based company using AI-powered technology to deliver robotic automation. The firm won £7.9 million in funding, with almost half coming from the Scottish National Investment Bank, the Scottish Government’s own investment arm.
Source: DIGIT