TEST AND DEMONSTRATION TOUR COMPLETED
DroneQ Robotics with international cooperation partners Maritime Robotics, OWIC, Marine Technical Limits, Spectro AG and Researchable have joined forces to develop an Autonomous Asset Integrity Management System, abbreviated AAIMS, to develop an Autonomous Port Inspection module. Ports will be served by autonomous vessels (ASV), underwater robots (ROV) for underwater inspections and water depth soundings, and drones for surface inspections. This will develop a sustainable, efficient and integrated inspection and survey solution for ports.
In the ports of Eemshaven, the first test and demonstration day has been completed in collaboration with Groningen Seaports as part of research. An excellently attended day by interested parties and well supported by OWIC! In addition to demonstrating the technology, the details of the Autonomous Port Inspection proposition were also explained. The alignment of the different technologies, the connectivity, the data quality and the enrichment thereof and the integration between unmanned technology and existing manned activities are important elements in the development of the Autonomous Port Inspection proposition.
The test and demonstration in Den Helder in collaboration with Port of Den Helder and METIP was intended to introduce the various parties to this innovative way of surveying and inspection and to test detail parts. Another very successful day in sun-drenched Den Helder!
An important step towards the DroneQ Robotics ambition has been tested in our home port of Rotterdam. DroneQ Robotics has the ambition to provide autonomous survey, inspection and security services worldwide. An important step in this is remote operations. After a lot of preparation, coordination and testing, a survey was carried out from 1300 km away as part of research. As a security measure, a 3-double communication with the ASV was set up locally: radio connection, 4G and WIFI. Emergency scenarios for taking over the remote connections have also been successfully implemented. Obstacle Detection & Avoidance based on 360o cameras, AIS and lidar were important supports. An important step towards further development!
The research tests were carried out in controlled parts of the ports where nothing was left to chance.
The follow-up developments will focus on the development of AI algorithms for the automatic recognition of objects and deviations such as corrosion, damage, marine growth and foreign objects based on camera images, sonar images and lidar. In addition, a lot of attention will also be paid to coordination with laws and regulations, in particular for the safe and responsible use of unmanned technologies on open water areas such as rivers, canals, coast and open sea.
