Marine Robot Fleets Set to Revolutionise Ocean Exploration

A groundbreaking project, supported by Innovate UK, has resulted in the development of a fleet of marine robots poised to redefine ocean exploration. These autonomous marine systems, designed to tackle complex offshore tasks, are on the verge of transforming the maritime industry.

As maritime operations become more intricate and costly, with energy infrastructure projects expanding further offshore, the demand for advanced multi-platform capabilities has surged.

The two-year collaborative research and development initiative, known as Squads of Adaptive Robots (SoAR), was led by Planet Ocean, the developer of ecoSUB AUVs. The project, initiated in September 2021, reached a pivotal moment this summer with full system testing conducted at Smart Sound Plymouth on England's southern coast.

The core mission of the SoAR project was to demonstrate that large-scale survey and exploration missions can transcend the limitations of individual Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs). Industry partners, including Planet Ocean, Sonardyne International, and HydroSurv, collaborated with institutions such as the National Oceanography Centre (NOC), Royal Holloway University, and the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult. Their collective efforts resulted in advanced AI-driven mission planning, open-source communications protocols for fleet coordination, and significant enhancements in underwater navigation and communications technology.

During open-water trials, coordinated missions were designed, monitored, and adjusted in real-time, all under the vigilant eye of an intelligent "Autonomy Engine." The trials engaged multiple surface and underwater autonomous systems, with mission management orchestrated from a remote shore-based command and control centre. The simulations mirrored an offshore windfarm concession survey mission, guided by a comprehensive business case analysis by the ORE Catapult team.

The SoAR project has led to several technological innovations, including advanced AI-driven mission planning, open-source communications protocols for fleet coordination, and a range of new and improved platform capabilities for both surface and sub-surface systems. The various small form-factor robotic platforms featured in this project represent the pinnacle of innovation in UK ocean robotics.

The SoAR concept is strategically tailored to address the distinct requirements of the offshore wind sector. This approach promises fresh operational paradigms and substantial long-term cost savings compared to conventional methods.

The fleet-level autonomy engine, developed by Royal Holloway, University of London, serves as the mission's central nervous system, making real-time decisions and re-planning when necessary. The SoAR Communications Backbone, created by the NOC team, fosters interoperability between the fleet-level autonomy engine, each vehicle-specific command and control system, and other sub-systems.

The trials featured Sonardyne's AvTrak 6 Nano acoustic transceivers, enabling inter-medium communications via simultaneous USBL tracking on a surface vessel and robust telemetry for AUV-to-vessel and AUV-to-AUV communications.

The SoAR fleet included ecoSUB AUVs, offering budget-friendly and versatile ocean science robotics. A small swarm of four ecoSUB AUVs played a pivotal role in assessing the underwater environment.

Auto-Hover 1 (AH1), owned by NOC, exhibits exceptional precision in maintaining station and navigating within the water column. HydroSurv's REAV-60, a long-endurance Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV), was designed for Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLoS) operations.