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PES-HORISONT-EU-PES Horisont Europa

Autonomous Resident Underwater Drone for the Aquaculture Industry

Awarded: NOK 49,999

Project Manager:

Project Number:

336715

Project Period:

2022 - 2022

Organisation:

Eurostar project summary: During this project, we will develop a system combining a resident underwater drone (RUD) with a docking/charging station for the aquaculture industry. It will allow autonomous net inspections & environmental parameters tracking. RUD builds upon Hydromea (project partner) portable drones with patented miniature rim-driven thrusters, hubless design, precise electric motor controllers & patent-pending ultra-fast wireless underwater communication. WPC (project partner) wireless power transmission technology will make the drone to be able to recharge subsea, effectively making the system resident, allowing drones to remain operational 24/7 for extended periods of time with limited to no human intervention. During this project a specifically developed induction module will be integrated in the drone, enabling wireless charging and data transfer capabilities. These additions will allow bringing a completely new product to the Blue Economy: a cost effective resident inspection drone that is able to operate 24/7 for extended periods of time at subsea levels. RUD is a disruptive solution in the emerging underwater robotics industry which is offered to an established and growing aquaculture market. The ocean economy is projected to double by 2030 (OECD) while the global aquaculture industry is estimated to grow from €7.8B in 2020 to €12B by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 4.4%.

Funding scheme:

PES-HORISONT-EU-PES Horisont Europa