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Robotic Systems News

28 Jun 2023

MR4WELD Debuts: Mobile, Robotic Welding for Shipbuilding

Image courtesy Fincantieri

Italian companies Comau and Fincantieri presented today  the first result of their joint collaboration with Automatica: MR4Weld (Mobile Robot for Weld), a mobile robot, an innovative outdoor automation solution, designed to improve the quality, performance and well-being of operators during labor-intensive welding activities.The MR4Weld mobile robot is being tested and will be used in the Fincantieri shipyards to autonomously weld steel structures, with the possibility of increasing operations up to to 3 times compared to a manual process…

20 Jun 2023

ABB Introduces Operational Planner for Offshore Wind Vessel Operations

Source: ABB

ABB has introduced a new Operational Planner module for its ABB Ability OCTOPUS – Marine Advisory System to help offshore fleet managers plan and optimize the maintenance of offshore wind farm operations.For support vessels moving between turbines or rigs during a single shift, OCTOPUS Operational Planner forecasts vessel workability across multiple sites. Whereas an offshore support vessel typically relies on an onboard weather routing system to predict weather and wave heights…

14 Sep 2021

Ocean Tug Set to Circumnavigate Denmark Under Remote Command

An ocean tug is set to embark on a 1,000 nautical mile autonomous and remotely commanded journey around Denmark to prove that the world’s waterways are primed and ready for autonomous vessel technologies, autonomous command and control systems developer Sea Machines announced on Tuesday.The vessel will depart from Hamburg, Germany on October 1 with full onboard vessel control managed by autonomous technology while operating under the authority of commanding officers located in the United States. During the journey, which Sea Machines is calling The Machine Odyssey, human passengers on board will enjoy the benefits of autonomous operations…

01 Jul 2021

Interview: Chris Deegan, President & Chief Executive, Gibbs & Cox

Chris Deegan (Photo: Gibbs & Cox)

In 1985, Chris Deegan was hired out of Penn State as a nuclear submarine cost estimator by the Naval Sea Systems Command and retired nearly 28 years later as the Executive Director of PEO Integrated Warfare Systems, with the last 10 as a member of the Senior Executive Service. He’s been with Gibbs & Cox since 2013, first as the Vice President of Engineering, and as President and Chief Executive since 2016.Please give a “by the numbers” look at Gibbs & Cox today.Since our founding in 1929…

15 Feb 2021

Subsea Defense: Navy Deepens Commitment to Underwater Vehicles

Senior Chief Mineman Abraham Garcia (left) and Aerographer's Mate 1st Class Joshua Gaskill, members of the Knifefish Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (UUV) test team, man tending lines during crane operations as part of an operational test conducted by members from Operational Test and Evaluation Force (OPTEVFOR). Knifefish is a medium-class mine countermeasure UUV designed for deployment off the Littoral Combat Ship. OPTEVFOR is the Navy’s sole test and evaluation organization for surface, air, and un

The U.S. Navy uses unmanned and robotic underwater vehicles for a multitude of functions, including environmental sensing, mine hunting, and salvage. The Navy plans to evolve an unmanned systems operating concept that is platform agnostic and capable of operating in highly complex contested environments with minimal operator interaction.The most recent edition of the Navy’s Unmanned Systems (UxS) Roadmap was issued in 2018, and a new version is expected in the near future. The 2018 document states that UxS will operate in every domain…

15 Feb 2021

Autonomy: Inside the Building of Ocean Infinity’s Armada Fleet

Image Courtesy Ocean Infinity

Back in 2017, Ocean Infinity made a novel move; deploying six autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), instead of just one, from a single vessel, vastly increasing the ground that could be covered in a single survey. Now the firm is taking the use of remote, robotic systems a significant step further.Back in 2017, Ocean Infinity made a novel move; deploying six autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), instead of just one, from a single vessel, vastly increasing the ground that could be covered in a single survey.

10 Feb 2021

MacGregor Wins Order for 36 Traction Winch Systems

(Photo: MacGregor)

MacGregor, part of Cargotec, has secured an order from SIA Solutions LLC to deliver 36 traction winch systems, 72 storage reel brakes and electrical control systems to the specialised concrete mat sinking unit, Armor 1, currently under construction at Thoma-Sea Marine Constructors LLC, Houma, La. for the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).The order was booked into Cargotec’s 2020 fourth quarter order intake. Equipment delivery is planned for the middle of 2021, with…

21 Jan 2021

Greensea Receives US Navy Award

“The long range standoff command and control of ROVs is the single best solution to keep the warfighter safe by getting them as far as possible from a subsea threat,” said Ben Kinnaman, CEO of Greensea.

Greensea's open architecture technology on Remotely Operated Vehicles furthered by Small Business Innovation Research Phase II grantGreensea Systems, Inc. creator of OPENSEA, an open architecture robotics platform for the marine industry, won a Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) ASAP grant totaling $1,100,000, with option for additional funding, for the continued development of Standoff Command and Control of Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs). This project has been funded in whole or in part with Federal funds from the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division…

09 Dec 2020

Sonardyne's Sensors for Ocean Infinity's Armada USV Fleet

Credit: Ocean Infinity

Ocean Infinity, a U.S. based marine survey firm developing the world's largest fleet of unmanned surface vessels - Armada - has ordered Sonardyne sensors for its robotic vessels.As reported previously, Ocean Infinity in February launched Armada, a marine technology and data company boasting the industry's largest fleet of unmanned surface vehicles (USV).Sonardyne said Wednesday it would provide the first wave of Ocean Infinity’s new Armada fleet with key sensor technologies for underwater platform navigation…

01 Apr 2020

Greensea’s New Ship Hull Crawler Tech Launches with VideoRay Defender ROV

Image: Greensea

Greensea introduces a new hull crawler that easily attaches a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) to a ship hull without magnetics, allowing the operator to “drive” the ROV and payloads over the hull. Initial hull crawlers are designed to work exclusively with the VideoRay Mission Specialist Defender ROV. The hull crawler represents a milestone in Greensea’s hull robotics program, which is advancing navigation and localization capabilities for a fully autonomous robotic hull inspection and proactive in-water cleaning solution. “VideoRay is a valued Greensea partner with a dynamic and powerful ROV.

17 Mar 2020

Naval Shipyards Recruiting Robots

(U.S. Navy photo by Amanda R. Gray)

Inspecting fuel and ballast tanks. Sand-blasting old paint coatings and applying new ones. Removing corrosion on ships, submarines, aircraft and other vehicles.These are some of the unpleasant jobs in naval shipyards and maintenance facilities that could be made safer by pairing human workers with robots. Experts say this could improve the speed and efficiency with which the U.S. Navy sustains its assets—and expand the career paths of current workers (and create new jobs) by teaching them to operate…

12 Mar 2019

Robots to Optimize Shipyard Operations

The navy shipyard, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (PSNS) & Intermediate Maintenance Facility (IMF) and Sarcos Robotics will jointly develop robotic technologies, including full-body powered exoskeletons, for use in naval shipyards, the two entities jointly announced.Sarcos Robotics, a player in robotic systems that augment rather than replace humans working in the industrial, public safety and military sectors, said in a press note that they would will evaluate Sarcos’ Guardian XO battery-powered full-body exoskeleton as well as its Guardian S inspection robot for use across a wide variety of unstructured, challenging work environments and tasks.Areas of initial focus will be manipulation of heavy items…

20 Feb 2019

Kraken Robotics Nets Ocean Infinity Deal

The marine technology company Kraken Robotics has received $1.7 million purchase orders from Ocean Infinity for the AquaPix Synthetic Aperture Sonar (SAS) sensors and support.According to a press note from the provider of software-centric sensors and underwater robotic systems, product delivery is expected during Q1 and Q2, 2019. This is the second set of purchase orders from Ocean Infinity under an initial master agreement contract announced in Q3 2017.Oliver Plunkett, President and CEO of Ocean Infinity said, “We are very pleased to add additional Kraken technology to our suite of latest generation tools with the order of further AquaPix SAS sensors for our AUV fleet.

06 Jul 2018

Subsea Robotics for Renewables

The Gwynt Y Mor wind farm. Photo from Rovco.

As the global fleet of offshore renewables fleet increases, ways to reduce the cost and increase the efficiency and safety of operations and maintenance work, using robotics and autonomous systems, will also grow. Elaine Maslin reports.Robotics and autonomous systems are moving into many areas of modern day life. It’s becoming harder to avoid them, from our phones to automotive systems and now offshore energy renewable projects.Both are seen as tools to do otherwise dull, dirty or dangerous work…

18 Jul 2017

UK Partners to Launch Autonomous Vessels Testing Service

(Photo: BAE Systems)

The U.K.'s first maritime autonomous systems testing service is set to launch later this year. BAE Systems said it has been awarded £457,000 (approximately $594,700) in grant funding from the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) to design and deliver the U.K.’s first dedicated autonomous systems testing service. Based around Portsmouth, Southampton and the South East of the Isle of Wight, BAE Systems will work with ASV Global (ASV), Blue Bear Systems Research (Blue Bear)…

31 May 2017

Seaspan Installs BWTS on Louis Dreyfus Cable Layer

Following five weeks of repair and installation activities, Seaspan’s Vancouver Drydock (VDC) has completed its refit activities on Louis Dreyfus’ Ile de Batz Special Purpose/Cable Layer vessel. Arriving on April 21 and departing VDC on-schedule on May 25, 2017, the Paris, France-based vessel underwent a wide scope of work that included the assembly of a new plow (special insitu welding/machining), overall support for mobilizing the ship, as well as the primary focus of the refit program, the installation of a Ballast Water Treatment (BWT) system – the first of its kind at VDC. “This innovative repair and maintenance project truly was an all-hands-on-deck job…

06 Mar 2017

ShipConstructor Drives Automatic Welding Robots

The last barrier to robotic shipbuilding has just fallen. What comes next will be truly exciting. It wasn’t too long ago that SSI and Wolf Robotics demonstrated some co-development which automatically drove a fully autonomous welding robot to weld several ship panels. SSI develops Autodesk based solutions for the shipbuilding and offshore industry including ShipConstructor software, an AutoCAD based CAD/CAM product line; and EnterprisePlatform, a tool for sharing product data model information. For its part, Wolf Robotics has been integrating robotic welding and cutting systems since 1978. The collaboration was part of a National Shipbuilding Research Program (NSRP) Computer Aided Robotics Welding (CAR-W) project with U.S. shipyards.

07 Apr 2016

US Military Christens Self-piloting Ship

Photo: Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

The U.S. military on Thursday christened an experimental self-driving warship designed to hunt for enemy submarines, a major advance in robotic warfare at the core of America's strategy to counter Chinese and Russian naval investments. The 132-foot-long (40-metre-long) unarmed prototype, dubbed Sea Hunter, is the naval equivalent of Google's self-driving car, designed to cruise on the ocean's surface for two or three months at a time - without a crew or anyone controlling it remotely.

06 Apr 2016

EC Pumps €7.5 Mln into the Maritime Sector

File photo: Chris Rochette

European Commission invests over €7.5 million under the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund to boost innovation, growth and jobs in the marine and maritime sectors. The European Commission is investing over €7.5 million to boost innovation and create jobs in the marine and maritime sectors. The money is available under the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and divided in calls for proposal focusing on the key areas where the European Union can have the biggest impact: skills, creativity and technology.

04 Apr 2015

US to Deploy Unmanned 'Ghost Ships' to Track Submarines

To keep track of increasingly stealthy Russian, Chinese, and Iranian submarines, the U.S. is building a robotic ghost ship - an unmanned, autonomous patrol ship - to follow them around the high seas. Called the Anti-Submarine Warfare Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel (ACTUV), the ships will detect and track diesel-powered subs, trailing from an observable distance, reports the Sputnik. Set to drift in the high seas, the robotic Sea Hunter will silently follow potentially hostile submarines. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has been developing an unmanned, 132-foot patrol boat for years. The ACTUV ships will detect and track diesel-powered subs, trailing from an observable distance like that awkward cousin at the family BBQ.

14 Oct 2014

Extreme Applications Demand Specialist Small Craft

In a dangerous world, even the largest ship in the world depends on the smallest maritime security and special mission platform. And when it comes to small boat security operations, innovation is the name of the game. With 90% of world trade transported by sea then passing through ports and waterways, no amount of technology will replace the requirement for multiple small fast craft and skilled operators. Finding new ways to share knowledge and best practice has never been more important in the maritime world.

18 Sep 2014

Jet Edge Celebrates 30 Years in Waterjet Industry

Joined by Jet Edge employees and local business and government leaders, Jet Edge President Jude Lague cuts a ribbon to mark Jet Edge’s 30th anniversary in the waterjet industry. The ribbon cutting was coordinated by the I-94 West Chamber of Commerce.  Photo courtesy I-94 West Chamber of Commerce.

Waterjet systems manufacturer Jet Edge, Inc. celebrated its 30th anniversary Sept. 3 with a special open house celebration. Jet Edge’s anniversary event included a special ribbon cutting ceremony courtesy of the I-94 West Chamber of Commerce, a barbecue lunch, factory tours, and live 5-axis waterjet cutting demonstrations. Jet Edge President Jude Lague and TC/American Monorail President Paul Lague were honored by St. Michael Mayor Jerry Zachman. They also received recognition letters from U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar and U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann.

30 May 2013

Crash Course on Unmanned Robotics at US NWC

REMUS AUV: Image credit Hydroid

U.S. Naval War College (NWC) students participate in a presentation & discussion of unmanned robotic systems with ReconRobotics, Inc. & Hydroid, Inc. This event was part of the "Unmanned Systems and Conflict in the 21st Century" course at NWC, serving as an opportunity for future decision makers to gain exposure and expand their knowledge of unmanned technologies. "It's important to be aware of advancements we're making now because they will change the strategic and operational environment of which our warfighters will be engaged in…