All over the world, companies in the unmanned systems sector are looking for practical ways to develop sustainable business models based on their own ideas. Partnerships are often a sensible option for accelerating this process. After all, it is often the combination of two good products that results in an outstanding overall solution. This is the path that the US company Nauticus Robotics and Open Ocean Robotics from Canada now want to take together.
The oceans are the least explored areas of the Earth. What goes on beneath the surface of the water is largely unknown to us. There is therefore a great need for innovative technologies that can help us gather important information about the state of the oceans and, for example, understand the effects of climate change on this sensitive ecosystem. In addition, the potential vulnerability of data cables and supply lines has been high on the agenda of industry and the military since the attack on the Nord Stream pipeline in September 2022 and various other incidents – for which the so-called Russian ‘shadow fleet’ is suspected. The NATO mission ‘Baltic Sentry’, for example, aims to deter potential saboteurs and prevent further incidents as far as possible by increasing the Western defence alliance's presence in the Baltic Sea. Various unmanned systems are to be used to minimise blind spots in the situation picture. In addition, the steadily intensifying energy production in offshore wind farms means that more and more infrastructure must be secured and regularly inspected in order to detect possible damage in good time – or, in the best case scenario, prevent it altogether.
In order to proceed as efficiently as possible, the ‘human factor’ must be largely removed from the equation. This can be achieved through the use of flying drones or unmanned watercraft. And just as there are different configurations for different mission profiles with UAS, the range of floating systems is also quite broad. This starts with the simple but important fact that there are naturally major differences between floating uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) and diving uncrewed underwater vehicles (UUVs). Only the combination of both technologies opens up the possibilities for exploiting the full potential of unmanned systems in the maritime industry and naval forces.
The goal of a strategic partnership between the US company Nauticus Robotics and the Canadian company Open Ocean Robotics is to lead the way in developing modern solutions for reliable, cost-effective and sustainable maritime surveillance. While the latter brings a wealth of experience and expertise in the field of USVs to the partnership, Nauticus Robotics has made a name for itself with autonomous underwater robotics and matching software solutions. According to their own statements, the companies now want to work together to develop cutting-edge technologies to optimise the operation of the underwater infrastructure required in the energy sector.
The central goal of the collaboration is to reduce operating costs and thus increase the economic efficiency of regular monitoring, targeted inspections and any maintenance and repair work that may be necessary. At the same time, the aim is to establish an environmentally sustainable alternative to conventional methods. According to the two companies, the clever combination of unmanned underwater and surface vehicles is the decisive answer to all questions relating to continuous real-time monitoring and data collection in coastal waters and on the high seas. Wherever the use of manned vessels, which are personnel-intensive and therefore costly, can be avoided, pipelines, power and data cables, and energy generation facilities can be checked for damage or wear more frequently, more efficiently and with significantly lower environmental impact.
> This article was written in cooperation with Drones, the magazine for the drone economy. www.drones-magazin.de
