Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has announced that for the second year running it has taken first place in the annual RoboBoat Competition, held this summer in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Outfitted with Velodyne’s compact 16-channel 3D VLP-16 LiDAR Puck, the pilot-less Embry-Riddle vessel crossed the finish line ahead of the 15 other teams participating in the event, which was sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (ONR), the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International Foundation (AUVSI) and several industry partners. The VLP-16 from Velodyne’s LiDAR Division is part of a growing family of solutions built around the company’s Light Detection and Ranging technology.

A year ago, Embry-Riddle finished first with a boat that incorporated Velodyne’s 32-channel HDL-32E LiDAR sensor. “Our performance in the RoboBoat competition was made possible for the second year in a row by the amazing Velodyne sensor,” said first-year student and team lead Kelsey Klein. “The Velodyne VLP-16 puck is an integral part of our autonomous vessel, and pairing it with our robust identification and classification algorithms gave us the edge to successfully complete the aquatic obstacle course.”

Hailing from places as far-flung as Indonesia, Taiwan, and South Korea, teams were evaluated based on the performance and designs of their student-built vessels. The mandatory tasks measured vessel speed, navigation and propulsion. Among the other challenges: automated docking, obstacle avoidance, launch and recovery from a moving boat, return to dock, and acoustic beacon positioning.

“The Embry-Riddle team’s success was largely due to Velodyne’s continued support, this time with the quick turnaround of a VLP-16 unit,” said Hitesh Patel, former team member and now a consultant. “Last year, we were the first team to debut the HDL-32E and this year, with Velodyne’s state-of-the-art sensors, we continue to prove the benefits of Velodyne LIDAR products in today’s autonomous technology applications. The team loved the VLP-16 sensors just as much as they did the HDL-32E. Having used the HDL-32E made it easier for the team to integrate the VLP-16 onto the RoboBoat platform.”

“Our 3D LiDAR sensors guide autonomous vehicles on land, on the seas and in air, and our hats are off to Embry-Riddle University for retaining its crown,” said Wolfgang Juchmann, Director of North America Sales and Product Management, Velodyne LiDAR division. “We’re recognized worldwide for developing real-time LiDAR sensors for all kinds of autonomous applications, including 3D mapping and surveillance. With a continuous 360-degree sweep of its environment, the lightweight, extremely affordable VLP-16 is scanning power in a pint-size package – and is ideal for taking on obstacle courses, wherever they may be.”

Added Kelly Cooper, program officer, sea warfare and weapons, ship systems and engineering research division, Office of Naval Research, “the [RoboBoat] course provides students with realistic maritime environment missions. The successes and challenges students experience via the competition are good preparation for a future in engineering. From completing a run to making onsite adjustments, RoboBoat offers students a first-hand look at what real-life engineers go through when developing and testing navy technologies for our sailors and Marines.”

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Raytheon Company has announced that it has completed delivery of its latest Modular Scalable Sonar System (MS³), a hull-mounted sonar system, for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)’s Anti-Submarine Warfare Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel (ACTUV) program. The delivery is a culmination of efforts under a subcontract from Leidos, Inc., whose prototype trimaran is designed to serve as the program’s unmanned vehicle.

MS³ marks an improvement in the performance and reliability of proven sonar technologies. It performs active and passive search and tracking, incoming torpedo warning, and small-object avoidance for safer navigation. Sensor data from the system is used in the anti-submarine warfare (ASW) mission to help build a common operating picture for ACTUV. MS³ will be integrated into Leidos’ trimaran for ACTUV, and will deliver these capabilities in an autonomous operating environment.

MS³ features a streamlined inboard electronics suite that can be configured for a range of sonar capabilities, including ASW, anti-surface Warfare (ASuW) and mine warfare, for most hull and bow-mounted arrays and towed systems. It was designed and developed with an open architecture for maximum flexibility, supporting phased upgrades or new construction programs.

“MS³ builds on a legacy of sonar expertise, integrating a host of capabilities in a single sonar system,” said Paul Ferraro, vice president of Advanced Technology for Raytheon’s Integrated Defense Systems business. “MS³ will provide DARPA with exceptional performance – from detection to tracking – from an unmanned platform.”

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QinetiQ, an aerospace and defense company, has announced that it has secured a £4.2m contract with the UK’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) to deliver a command and control demonstration system for the co-ordination of multiple unmanned vehicles.

Leading a team comprising BAE Systems, Thales and Seebyte, QinetiQ will develop a transportable solution capable of integrating unmanned systems from multiple suppliers. The objective is to minimise the number of screens and controls needed to conduct missions, improving efficiency and mitigating the risk of human error by reducing the burden on operators.

The system is intended for deployment at sea during the Royal Navy’s Unmanned Warrior showcase, where it will support a series of demonstrations, including a comparison of mine countermeasures carried out by manned and unmanned craft. Unmanned Warrior will take place alongside the Joint Warrior exercise in October 2016, with many of the key elements undertaken on or using range facilities operated by QinetiQ on behalf of the UK Ministry of Defence.

Dr. Philip Smith, Ship Systems & Integrated Survivability Programme Manager, Dstl, said: “The control of multiple vehicles from different vendors and across the land, sea and air environments will be a major achievement. This project is an important component in helping to shape the Royal Navy’s exploitation of unmanned vehicles and will make significant progress in their integration into the combat system.”

Commander Peter Pipkin of the Royal Navy said: “This is an important part of showing the true potential of unmanned systems. Being able to demonstrate the end-to-end flow of information to enable better decision making is key and an important enabler for our demonstrations next year.”

The work is being led by QinetiQ’s Maritime Systems team, working as part of the QinetiQ Maritime Autonomy Centre (QMAC) in Portsmouth. QMAC was established in 2013 to accelerate the UK’s adoption of autonomous systems by facilitating their design, development, testing and evaluation.

QMAC is positioned to capitalise on the growing importance of autonomous systems, which First Sea Lord Sir Admiral George Zambellas has said ‘will revolutionise maritime operations’. Global Marine Technology Trends 2030, a report published in September 2015 by Lloyd’s Register, QinetiQ and the University of Southampton, cited Maritime Autonomous Systems as being the biggest driver of advancement in maritime security in over a century.

Sarah Kenny, Managing Director for QinetiQ’s Maritime business, said: “We established QMAC two years ago, having recognised the crucial role that autonomy will play in future maritime operations.

“In the short time since its inception, QMAC has gone from strength to strength. This contract is testament to the innovation, expertise and facilities at QinetiQ, which are helping the UK to lead the way in this vital emerging sector.”

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NERC, a UK environmental science agency, has announced that a new Marine Robotics Innovation Centre has been opened at its National Oceanography Centre (NOC) in Southampton. The centre will be a hub for businesses developing autonomous platforms, with novel sensors that will be used to cost-effectively capture data from the world’s oceans.

The UK minister of state for universities & science, Jo Johnson, said:

“I was honoured to open the new Marine Robotics Innovation Centre at the UK’s world class National Oceanography Centre in Southampton. The UK is leading the way in marine science and this new facility will help to put wind in the sales of our marine industry.”

NERC’s chief executive, Professor Duncan Wingham, said:

“NERC’s National Oceanography Centre is not only one of world’s leading institutes for the study of our oceans, but has also led the world in the development of marine autonomous systems to explore this most hostile environment. This investment promises to redefine our approach to sustained observations of the oceans and their living systems. The new Marine Robotics Innovation Centre has been created to further develop emerging marine robot technologies and to maintain our world-class status. It brings together NOC engineers and their industry colleagues to foster innovation and build this sector, translating science into technological solutions.”

NOC’s executive director, Professor Ed Hill, said:

“The launch of the Marine Robotics Innovation Centre is a very important development, because it is all about turning great science into great innovation for the benefit of the UK economy.

Autonomous measurement systems for the ocean have grown out of demands for frontier science in extreme environments. Much like space science, oceanography too creates spin-offs which bring technologies back into more everyday use for a wide range of applications.

Marine autonomous systems offer to transform the work of many sectors, including environmental monitoring. For example, they will improve data collection for weather and climate prediction, for defence, and for the emerging needs of offshore energy and other industries.

Not only are there multiple applications, but the UK also has a diverse, vibrant sector of small technology companies able to take the innovations to wider markets. We will be working alongside several of these companies in the centre and engaging with the associate members, who are likely to be major users of the technology developed there.”

The Marine Robotics Innovation Centre has been operational since the summer of 2015. Planet Ocean Ltd, ASV and SeeByte Ltd have already moved into the centre, which provides office and testing facilities along with access to specialist instrumentation

In addition, NERC, Innovate UK and DSTL are investing over £13m in Small Business Research Initiative projects, the first of which has led to the development of two highly innovative autonomous surface vehicles that are now competing on the global stage. The two small and medium-size enterprises involved in this project have already received orders in excess of £1·1m, accompanied by steadily growing workforces, and are selling into oil and gas, defence and other offshore sectors, where reducing costly ship time, improving safety and long-term monitoring are driving adoption of robotic technologies that can stay at sea for weeks, or even months, unmanned.

The Marine Robotics Innovation Centre was born out of the government’s ‘eight great technologies’ funding initiative. The funding has built the innovation centre and provided capital investment for a range of underwater robotic equipment that can go further and deeper than most systems in commercial use.

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Sea Machines, a developer of unmanned offshore vessels, has announced the release of the V2, a heavy-duty autonomous workboat built for offshore and nearshore operations.

The semi-displacement hull provides open-ocean stability for surveying or USBL communications and the powerful propulsion system delivers more than 20 knots and 3 tons bollard pull when needed.

With a pilot house and helm, the V2 is designed for operators who desire an autonomous vessel that can also be manually-driven as a conventional boat. The V2 is outfitted with Sea Machines’ ACS control system, which allows operation of the vessel in three primary gradations of autonomy, with the ability to communicate via wireless radio or satellite. The hull houses a 60cm diameter moon pool for vertical deployment of sensors, sonar, and acoustic systems below the keel. Propulsion is diesel-electric with an optional Siemens hybrid system for quiet running and fuel efficiency.

The vessel has a 60cm diameter moonpool with integrated deployment pole and hydrodynamic doors which are the heart of the V2’s remote sensing package. Designed to accommodate high accuracy USBLs, Acoustic Modems, and Multibeam Sonars, the V2 is capable of carrying out missions ideally suited to autonomous vessels, such as AUV Tendering and Collaborative Hydrographic Survey. After deployment, the subsea components are retracted and the doors closed, protecting the sensors and allowing for a high transit speed.

The Pilot House on the V2 provides for a seamless transition between Unmanned and Manned operations.

The V2 is outfitted with continuous foam-filled fendering to simplify dockings and provide structural protection for the hull.

With Sea Machines autonomous control systems, the vessel can operate in ‘Line of Sight’ and ‘Over the Horizon’ modes. The Sea Machines user interface is capable of incorporating either a proprietary path planning system or 3rd-party planning software. Sea Machines’ control systems include full collision avoidance capabilities and operate under the mariner’s “Rules of the Road”.

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Ocean Aero, a developer of autonomous ocean systems, has announced that the Submaran™ unmanned underwater and surface vessel (UUSV), has been selected as a winner in the Aerospace, Security, & Cyber Technologies Category at CONNECT’s 28th Annual Most Innovative New Product Awards.

Ocean Aero was selected for their work on the Submaran, a unique, highly ruggedized, and completely powered by wind and solar-energy ocean vessel. The vessel’s self-powered payload can be configured with a wide variety of sensor and observational systems to provide essential information to science, academic, commercial and government organizations. The Submaran is easy to deploy and is the only unmanned, underwater, surface vessel of its type capable of both extended surface and subsurface operation.

CEO and President, Eric Patten, gave a quick speech at the awards ceremony in December and thanked his tireless and outstanding team of engineers and support staff. Patten later noted, “Ocean Aero is incredibly honored to receive this award, especially considering the competitive field of finalists.” He added, “This award validates the massive potential of the Submaran for the Ocean Aero team.”

CONNECT, a premier innovation company accelerator in San Diego that creates and scales great companies in the technology and life sciences sectors, annually hosts this prestigious competition, which begins in each year in the spring and culminates in the awards ceremony, to recognize and laud ground-breaking products released within the last 18 months from San Diego-based innovation companies.

Winners were selected from the following eight categories: Aerospace, Security & Cyber Technologies, Cleantech, Communications & IT, Life Science Diagnostics & Research Tools, Mobile Apps, Pharmaceutical Drugs & Medical Devices, Software & Digital Media and Sport & Active Lifestyle Technologies.

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Curtiss-Wright’s Defense Solutions division has announced that its Indal Technologies business unit is collaborating with GeoSpectrum Technologies, a developer of underwater acoustic systems, to develop a new compact and lightweight sonar system designed for the smaller surface ships and Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) markets.

The TRAPS (Towed Reelable Active Passive Sonar) system will deliver a unique, high-performance Antisubmarine Warfare (ASW) solution to the undersea warfare marketplace. Based on its reduced size and weight, TRAPS will be the first towed active/passive sonar system to enable smaller navies, such as those operating frigates, corvettes, coastal patrol vessels, and ships of opportunity, to perform effective ASW operations. Unlike towed sonar systems that require heavy and complex launch and recovery equipment, TRAPS is the first reelable towed system that features a vertical active source combined with a high performance passive towed array, all handled “in-line” on a lightweight and easy to use winch system.

“Curtiss-Wright is excited to be working with GeoSpectrum Technologies to develop this innovative new high performance ASW system,” said Lynn Bamford, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Defense Solutions division. “The unprecedented weight and size reduction provided by the TRAPS system demonstrates Curtiss-Wright’s leadership in providing innovative shipboard handling solutions.”

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After successful trials on Halcyon Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV), Thales and ASV strengthen their partnership. Both companies have signed an agreement to develop autonomous Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) technology and capability for maritime, civil, security and military domains.

Thales is a global technology leader with a unique capability to design and deploy equipment, systems and services to meet customer’s operational requirements. ASV, an agile Small and Medium-sized enterprise (SME) with 60 employees spread across the UK and USA, has specialised expertise and experience in USV design, build, operation and maintenance.

This agreement, which builds on the strong existing relationship and the combined skills and expertise of the two companies, provides world leading, innovative solutions for autonomous maritime requirements.

Successful trials on Halcyon USV
The collaboration has already successfully delivered the innovative Halcyon USV, a key asset of the French – UK Maritime Mine Counter Measures programme (MMCM). Designed and built by ASV, it provides high speed transit, stability, manoeuvrability and endurance. When enhanced with Thales’s mission and autonomy management systems, Halcyon provides a highly capable and cost effective platform for the deployment of payloads for a wide range of maritime, civil, security and military applications.

A recent success is the support provided by Thales, with their partners ASV and SeeByte, to the UK’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) in the demonstration of a robust autonomous Mine Counter Measures (MCM) system through a collaborative systems approach. This was part of The Technical Cooperation Programme (TTCP), a multi-national forum for defence, science and technology.

Halcyon, fitted with Thales’s mission management system and integrated with the ASView control system, operated collaboratively in the trials to demonstrate reliable autonomous operations involving complex behaviours in a range of scenarios and sea state conditions.

These trials completed operator planned missions controlled from a remote operations centre, providing operator oversight and control over a communications link. It also showed how a USV can work autonomously with a multi-national squad of Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs). These successful trials represent a major milestone in Thales’s roadmap to deliver robust autonomous USV operations.

The two companies are collaborating on the delivery of the French – UK Mine Countermeasures (MMCM) contract, a programme which is key to the transformation of mine countermeasures capabilities and the future operational use of unmanned naval systems.

“Thales has already delivered world leading autonomous capability with the Halcyon USV. This agreement will allow us to build on this success to deliver the future autonomous capability requirements of our customers”. Phil Jones, Managing Director, Maritime Mission Systems for Thales in the UK.

“This agreement allows both companies to comprehensively address the fast growing military and security domain. pairing ASV control system technology with Thales sensor and software capabilities combines both specialist expertise and unrivalled experience in creating and using these systems”. Dan Hook, Managing Director, ASV.

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Atlas Elektronik UK (AEUK), a provider of defense technology solutions, has announced that it has successfully delivered an ARCIMS multi-role Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) to the German Naval Technical Centre, WTD71, based within the Eckernfoerde Naval Base. This follows the recent success in 2015 where AEUK secured a major contract with the UK MoD to supply the Royal Navy with an Autonomous Minesweeping Capability.

The ARCIMS USV is an 11m platform with a large open deck space and a 4 tonne payload capacity. It has been specifically designed for unmanned military applications with a shock resistant hull and a low platform underwater signature. The high tow performance across a wide speed range assists minesweeping and towed sonar operations. The cathedral hull and twin jet propulsion provides a manoeuvrable yet stable platform with a top speed of over 40 knots.

The USV is part of the ARCIMS Mission System that includes a range of reconfigurable Mission Modules to deliver MCM and Hydrographic operations, ASW, Maritime Security and Force Protection.

The German Navy has a requirement to assess the use of unmanned mine countermeasure (MCM) systems. WTD71, the Bundeswehr Technical Centre for Ships and Naval Weapons, is responsible for the development and evaluation of such equipment from pre-phase to service use.

The ARCIMS USV can be operated remotely, autonomously or as a manned platform and offers the flexibility to test and evaluate a range sweep equipment as well as the deployment of off-board payloads. This procurement will help WTD71 to develop their next generation unmanned minesweeping and mine hunting solutions including the evaluation of the ARCIMS USV itself as a candidate platform.

AEUK’s record of ARCIMS sales now includes the recent order with the UK MoD for an Autonomous Minesweeping Mission System deployed from the HUNT Class MCMV, two Portable Minesweeping Systems for a Middle East navy, a Mine Hunting System for the Royal Navy, and the ARCIMS USV for WTD71 Germany.

Furthermore, AEUK is aiming to secure additional contracts within Asia in 2016.

Mario Pohl, Vice President Sales Germany states: “The whole ATLAS Group welcome the opportunity to support WTD71 with their future developments and look forward to further collaboration within forthcoming European projects”.

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Elbit Systems, a defense technology firm, has announced the launch of Seagull, the company’s newest offering in the unmanned platform field. Seagull is a modular, autonomous, multi-mission Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) system, which draws on knowledge derived from generations of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) design, development and operation and naval capabilities.

Seagull is a 12-meter USV with replaceable mission modules, with two vessels capable of being operated and controlled in concert using a single Mission Control System (MCS), from manned ships or from the shore.

The system provides unmanned end-to-end mine hunting operation taking the man out of the mine field. It provides mission planning, and on-line operation in known and unknown areas, including area survey, search, detection, classification, identification, neutralization and verification. It is equipped to search the entire water volume and operate underwater vehicles to identify and neutralize mines.

Seagull changes the dynamics of anti-submarine operations by creating a threat to submarines using a cost-effective and available asset, replacing and augmenting manned assets with minimal threat from submarines. It empowers a surface vessel or naval base commander with off-board, available and rapidly deployable Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) capabilities to protect critical sea areas and high-value assets from submarine as well as sea mine threats.

Incorporating Elbit Systems’ extensive experience in UAS, Seagull features a robust, highly-autonomous and safe sailing capability as well as modular mission payload suites, selected to match a variety of required missions including EW, surface force protection, hydrographical missions in addition to the core MCM and ASW missions. The sailing suite includes a patented Autonomous Navigation System (ANS), with obstacle avoidance, which considers the international regulations for preventing collisions at sea.

Network ready and long enduring, Seagull features inherent C4I capabilities for enhanced situation awareness and can remain at sea for over 96 hours. The Seagull multi-mission USV system offers navies a true force-multiplier in reducing risk, cost and manpower requirements in performing missions which have only been performed to date by costly manned assets.

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Kraken Sonar Inc., a developer of Synthetic Aperture Sonar (SAS) technology, has announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Kraken Sonar Systems Inc., is to supply its KATFISH towed sonar system to Elbit Systems Ltd., a major international defence contractor.

Elbit has already unveiled a state-of-the-art Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) named “Seagull”. The Seagull USV is a multi-mission platform boasting high autonomy levels and modular features, allowing it to be rapidly reconfigured for a wide array of missions – including anti-submarine warfare and mine countermeasures.

“Elbit’s Seagull USV is one of the most advanced ocean drones in the world – one that will save lives,” said Karl Kenny, President of Kraken Sonar. “When our Synthetic Aperture Sonar is integrated on Elbit’s Seagull USV, the system can provide remotely operated, unmanned, end-to-end mine hunting operations. These ocean drones can detect very small objects hidden on the seabed and enter confined spaces where underwater explosives are likely to be hidden. Since robotic systems can be remotely operated their use can remove people from very dangerous missions – in essence, taking the sailor out of the minefield.”

The Seagull is a 40-foot autonomous launch that can be fitted with mission modules for Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW), Mine Counter Measures (MCM) and force protection / patrol, including a stabilized, remotely operated .50-caliber machine gun and wire-guided torpedoes for stand-off destruction of naval mines and underwater Improvised Explosive Devices.

The new maritime warfare system is the latest product to emerge from Elbit Systems Inc. The company has considerable experience in unmanned surface vessel systems, including the 30-foot Silver Marlin and the 10-foot Stingray USV platforms, plus a 30-year track record with unmanned aerial vehicles.

Elbit’s Seagull system supports online operation in known and unknown areas, conducting area survey, search, detection, classification, identification, neutralization and verification. It also equipped to launch and recover other underwater robotic sensors to identify and neutralize mines. Seagull can be operated via a remotely controlled Mission Control System from the shore or from other naval assets at sea, performing missions lasting more than 96 hours (four days) at a time. Inherent networking capability supports enhanced situation awareness.

The highly autonomous sailing suite includes a patented navigation system, with obstacle avoidance, which considers the international regulations for preventing collisions at sea.

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SeeByte, the global leader in creating smart software technology for unmanned systems and ASV, leading supplier of Unmanned and Autonomous Marine Systems, have announced a commercial partnership where the two companies will collaborate to bring new advanced capabilities and solutions to the field of maritime autonomy.

ASV’s C-Enduro autonomous surface vehicle

This agreement sees SeeByte and ASV build upon previous collaborative work to develop the next generation of adaptive autonomy by working together across the fleet of ASV platforms and SeeByte’s software solutions. SeeByte’s smart software can be integrated onto unmanned vehicles to offer adaptive autonomy. This allows vehicles to react and adapt their missions according to feedback from their sensors and to collaborate with other vehicles in the fleet.

Ioseba Tena, Sales Manager at SeeByte, commented “We have had a very close working relationship with ASV which has seen us develop and demonstrate many innovative autonomous capabilities. This partnership essentially formalises our commitment to join our capabilities to continue bringing new autonomous solutions to the market”.

Dan Hook, Managing Director at ASV, said “We have identified a number of opportunities across many of our market sectors, including oil & gas, oceanography and defence, where a partnership with SeeByte will be of benefit. Integrating SeeByte’s software technology with the ASView Control System and ASV platforms will provide us with the technical and commercial muscle to pursue new innovative solutions”.

Ioseba Tena and Dan Hook will be presenting a talk on the work SeeByte and ASV have done together on the AAOSN project. This will be at Oceanology International on Thursday the 17th of March at 11.20am on the Unmanned Vehicles and Vessels Showcase.

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Liquid Robotics, a developer of wave and solar powered ocean robots, has announced that its fleets of Wave Gliders have reached 1 million nautical miles at sea — an important milestone for the unmanned surface vehicle (USV) industry. The company claims that the Wave Glider is the first USV to complete missions from the Arctic to the Southern Ocean, operate through 17 hurricanes/typhoons, and achieve a Guinness World Record for the “longest journey by an autonomous, unmanned surface vehicle on the planet.” One million nautical miles is the equivalent to 1.29x round trip journey to the moon (at the moon’s furthest point) or approximately 46 times around the world.

“A million nautical miles at sea is an important threshold for Liquid Robotics, our customers, and the unmanned surface systems industry,” said Gary Gysin, President and CEO of Liquid Robotics. “We’re leveraging this expertise to help build an ocean sensor network with Wave Gliders serving as the communications hub and mobile sensor platform. Our vehicles are collecting and transmitting data today that is too costly or difficult to obtain, but is vital to our understanding and protection of the ocean.”

Over the past decade, government and commercial organizations have turned to unmanned ocean robots to lower the cost, risks, and improve ocean access, allowing better measurement, monitoring, and understanding of maritime environments. In the Defense, Oil & Gas, and Scientific markets, Wave Gliders have been deployed to extend the range and effectiveness of traditional observation and surveillance systems. Missions have been conducted in all five major oceans collecting and communicating environmental, security, weather and seismic data.

“For the unmanned systems industry surpassing one million nautical miles is a landmark event,” said Dr. James Bellingham, Director Center for Marine Robotics, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. “It clearly proves Wave Gliders (USVs) can sustain long duration operations required for scientific and defense missions. They’re changing how we explore and protect the ocean.”

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ASV’s C-Worker 5 Autonomous Surface Vehicle

ASV has completed the construction of four C-Worker 5 vehicles. These state-of-the-art Autonomous Surface Vehicles (ASVs) will be added to ASV’s global lease pool in the second quarter of 2016. While the C-Worker 5 can accommodate a variety of client payloads and applications, it was specifically designed as a hydrographic survey force multiplier.

The C-Worker 5 is five metres in length and can operate at 7 knots for 5 days before refuelling. This speed/range combination maximises acquisition effectiveness while minimizing launch and recovery operations. As a force multiplier, it can operate concurrently alongside traditional survey vessels, dramatically increasing survey efficiency.

The C-Worker 5 uses a direct drive marine diesel propulsion system operated via ASV’s proven ASView™ control system. The C-Worker 5 integrates quickly and easily with a wide variety of payloads including hull mounted and towed sensors. The ASView™ control system enables line plans from a variety of data acquisition systems to be uploaded for efficient data collection.

Thomas Chance, ASV’s Chairman stated, “The C-Worker 5 is an exciting new ASV that will dramatically help our clients’ bottom line. The new vehicle also complements ASV’s C-Worker 6 and C-Worker 7 product line which can accommodate larger payloads.”

The C-Worker 5 will be unveiled publicly for the first time at Oceanology International, London, 15th – 17th March 2016. Visit ASV at stand G401.

ASV is a world leader in autonomous marine technology. The company designs, builds and operates ASVs on a global basis. Products are available for lease and purchase alongside comprehensive support and training packages. In just five years, ASV has produced more than 75 vehicles and developed more than 30 different payload packages. The company has also converted numerous existing vessels to operate autonomously. With offices in the UK and US, ASV’s 70 employees support commercial, scientific, and military clients across the globe.

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Rolls-Royce has announced that it has unveiled its vision of land-based control centres for remotely monitoring and controlling future unmanned ships. In a six minute film, the company presented a vision of the future in which a small crew of 7 to 14 people monitor and control the operation of a fleet of vessels across the world. The crew uses interactive smart screens, voice recognition systems, holograms and surveillance drones to monitor what is happening both on board and around the ship.

Iiro Lindborg, General Manager, Remote & Autonomous Operations, Ship Intelligence, Rolls-Royce, said: “We’re living in an ever-changing world where unmanned and remote-controlled transportation systems will become a common feature of human life. They offer unprecedented flexibility and operational efficiency. Our research aims to understand the human factors involved in monitoring and operating ships remotely. It identifies ways crews ashore can use tools to get a realistic feel for what is happening at sea.”

The film marks the final stage of research that will inform the design and construction of a project demonstrator before the end of this decade. An effective remote operations centre is essential to the company’s plans to develop autonomous and remote controlled vessels.

Eija Kaasinen, Principal Scientist at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd said: “The autonomous ship does not mean removing human beings entirely from the picture, as is sometimes stated. Unmanned ships need to be monitored and controlled and this will require entirely new kinds of work roles, tasks, tools and environments. The future shore control centre concept has been designed by emphasising the user experience of the human operators. By focusing on the operators’ point of view, it is possible to introduce meaningful, pleasurable and engaging new roles for the ships’ shore control centre professionals.”

The research was undertaken by VTT and University of Tampere research centre TAUCHI (Tampere Unit for Computer Human Interaction) in collaboration with Rolls-Royce. It explored the lessons learned from other industries where remote operation is commonplace, such as aviation, energy, defence, and space exploration.

It uses the innovative InnoLeap approach, a VTT and Rolls-Royce-developed initiative for concept design and presenting academic studies in a graphic format. The InnoLeap approach is based on trend and user studies, co-innovation, scenario stories and visualizations.

The video is the latest in a series of films developed to present Rolls-Royce’s vision of future shipping known as the ‘oX’ operator experience concept and introduced in 2014. Previous studies have looked at the user experience of future command bridges on Platform Supply Vessels, container ships and tugs.

New digital opportunities will shape the world of work in various industries and VTT’s research helps create the conditions needed for digitalisation to promote sustainable development, employment and well-being in society. Mikael Wahlström, Senior Scientist at VTT said: “We need to understand current work by field studies. This allows the creation of innovations that reflect the positive aspects of existing job practices, which are not always obvious. If, for example, a mechanic can assess the engine status by hearing the engine noise, it should be beneficial to be able to do the same at a remote control centre.”

The film is available here.

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Klein Marine Systems, a developer of sonar systems, has announced that its 5900 mine hunting side scan sonar system was integrated onboard Elbit’s Seagull Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) during mine countermeasure exercises performed in the Mediterranean Sea. Klein’s system not only successfully detected and classified all detectable moored and bottom Mine Like Objects (MLOs) but did so in one-third the allotted time period for each exercise.

During the trials, which were conducted in various depths up to 85 m, the 5900 sonar enabled MCM area survey at 8-9 knots with high performance and high area coverage rate.

In addition to the controlled trial, the 5900 was operated by Seagull in various survey operations providing high resolution imagery and exhibiting its utility as a sub-sea survey asset as well as an MCM sonar.

The 5900 is a high resolution, dynamically focused, multi-beam, side scan sonar designed specifically for small object detection with 100 percent bottom coverage, while being towed at speeds up to 14 knots.

The system employs advanced signal processing techniques, motion compensation and superior acoustic design to provide exceptional constant high-resolution, motion tolerant imagery performance. Remote control software, Swath Bathymetry and a Nadir Gap Filler capability are subsystem options available on the 5900 System.

The Seagull USV is a newly introduced 12-meter Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) designed with replaceable mission modules. Two Seagull vessels are capable of being operated and controlled in concert using a single Mission Control System (MCS), from manned ships or from the shore.

The system provides unmanned end-to-end mine hunting operation taking the sailor out of the mine field. It provides mission planning, and on-line operation in known and unknown areas, including area survey, search, detection, classification, identification, neutralization and verification. It is equipped to search the entire water volume and to launch and operate underwater vehicles to identify and neutralize mines.

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DARPA has announced that it has completed the prototype technology demonstration vessel developed and built through the Agency’s Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel (ACTUV) program. The ship was officially christened in Portland, Oregon, at a ceremony that was attended by U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work and senior U.S. Navy and government officials.

The ship, named Sea Hunter, is a fully autonomous ocean-going vessel developed primarily to track diesel-electric submarines that could pose potential threats to national security. Measuring 132 feet from bow to stern and weighing approximately 145 tons with full payload, Sea Hunter is designed to operate completely unmanned on the open ocean for up to three months at a time.

Leidos – formerly known as Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) – contracted by DARPA to build Sea Hunter, based the design of the ship’s frame on a trimaran configuration, with a long, narrow body supported by two adjacent pontoons. The ship has a top speed of 27 knots (31 miles per hour) and is capable of fully functional operation in Sea State 5 (wave heights of roughly six feet and wind speeds of up to 21 knots).

Sea Hunter’s onboard computer has been constructed from 31 blade servers, providing it with autonomous navigational capabilities that allow it to detect and track a target from nearly two miles away, while remaining compliant with all maritime laws and rules of safe navigation.

Scott Littlefield, DARPA program manager, commented: “What we’ve created together with the Navy is a truck that can carry more payload over greater distances, stay out longer, and be more capable than anything else—and do it highly autonomously because it’s a big vessel and it’s got that flexibility.”

The vessel is now due to undergo a new stage of open-water testing to be conducted jointly with the Office of Naval Research (ONR). DARPA will collaborate with ONR to fully test the capabilities of the vessel and several innovative payloads. Pending the results of those tests, the program could transition to the U.S. Navy by 2018.

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QinetiQ has announced that it has been awarded a £1m contract by the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) to provide a demonstration system to explore the integration of unmanned surface and underwater vehicles into Royal Navy operations. The system includes displays, software and computing infrastructure and is to be fully transportable and capable of integrating unmanned systems from multiple suppliers. QinetiQ will be working with the Mine countermeasures and Hydrographic Capability (MHC) team in the MOD’s Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) organisation.

The demonstrator will play a central role in the mine warfare themed aspects of Unmanned Warrior, the Royal Navy’s showcase of unmanned systems due to be held in October 2016. The activity will take place around the BUTEC facility in Scotland, operated by QinetiQ on behalf of the MOD under the Long Term Partnering Agreement (LTPA)

After the Unmanned Warrior exercise, the command and control system will be operated by the Royal Navy’s Maritime Autonomous Systems Trials Team (MASTT) as part of their suite of systems under evaluation and trials.

The new project follows a £4.2m contract with the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) to deliver a similar command and control demonstration system for the co-ordination of multiple unmanned vehicles. It gives the MHC programme the means to fully understand the technology risks and performance boundaries for unmanned systems and to explore how to integrate equipment into an overall capability. As such, it complements work on the UK-French Maritime Mine Counter Measures programme and the UK Sweep capability demonstrator as the newest of the MHC demonstrators.

The objective of the overall programme is to minimise the number of bespoke screens and controls needed to conduct missions and improve efficiency through increased levels of system-to-system communication, minimising the risk of human error by reducing the burden on operators.

Both projects will be delivered by QinetiQ leading a team comprising BAE Systems, Thales, Seebyte and Atlas Elektronik UK.

The work is being led by QinetiQ’s Maritime Systems team, working as part of the QinetiQ Maritime Autonomy Centre (QMAC) in Portsmouth. QMAC was established to accelerate the UK’s adoption of autonomous systems by facilitating their design, development, testing and evaluation.

Sarah Kenny, Managing Director for QinetiQ’s Maritime, Land and Weapons business, said: “This contract is a real opportunity for the maritime defence enterprise to demonstrate successful transition of technology from the research domain to the end user. The project pulls together a number of separate research programmes and integrates these with existing equipment to fully enable RN MASTT planned activities at the same time as supporting the MHC Assessment Phase. QinetiQ is delighted that QMAC is already delivering value to the RN and I look forward to what promises to be an exciting future for this growing part of our business.”

Based on established mine countermeasures tools and components developed by a number of previously independent research activities, the solution fuses local and remote sensor data and is hosted on the Dstl Open Architecture Combat System (OACS). Integral mission planning and management applications enable operation of a range of vehicles from different suppliers, all from a single operator workstation.

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Cambridge Pixel, a developer of radar display, tracking and recording subsystems, has announced the launch of USVx, a new radar display application to control radar sensors and tracking functions on unmanned or autonomous surface vehicles (USV/ASVs).

Cambridge Pixel’s USVx radar display software is targeted at USV developers and manufacturers. USVx provides an integrated display picture of radar, tracks, AIS (automatic identification system) data, context maps and NMEA-0183 navigation data from the USV.

USVx provides a powerful and intuitive graphical user interface designed for use with touchscreens that allows the operator to change range scale, control the operation of the radar and tracker remotely, and monitor alarms and track reports. Fusion software enables AIS reports to be combined with radar tracks.

USVs are vehicles that operate on the surface of the water without a crew and are controlled from a ground station or a mothership. A typical surveillance USV is a sensor-rich platform with capabilities for self-guidance and automatic decision making. Radar is the key sensor for most ASV applications as it provides the data to steer its course and avoid obstacles.

The market for USVs is growing rapidly, driven by demand from navies and commercial enterprises worldwide for more effective maritime security – to combat terrorism, piracy and smuggling, to protect of shallow waters and ports, and for environmental monitoring.

Mark Saunders, sales director of Cambridge Pixel, said: “We are excited to be at the forefront of USV development. Our expertise is well-suited to autonomous vehicles as our core competence is extracting and tracking targets from radar video. Already, we have been working with some of the key USV developers who come to us because we have the capability to interface to a wide range of radar types and offer modules for radar acquisition, processing, tracking, fusion and recording.”

“With the addition of USVx, we can now offer our partners a ready-to-run client application providing clear, maritime-style presentation of radar video, tracks and AIS data, alongside our suite of SPx software,” said Saunders, “giving integrators flexibility and freedom to use just the modules they require for their specific solution.”

Cambridge Pixel’s range of interoperable radar processing, display and recording solutions is easily adapted to a wide range of USV platforms to provide local processing as well as remote display of radar and camera video at a control facility.

“Mission recording is another important consideration in USV applications and this can be handled by our radar data recorder (RDR), which captures and stores radar video, tracks, camera video, AIS, and navigation data from the remote vehicle,” added Mark Saunders. “The mission data captured by RDR may be replayed through USVx for post mission review and analysis.”

Cambridge Pixel’s technology is used in naval, air traffic control, vessel traffic, commercial shipping, security, surveillance and airborne radar applications. Its systems have been implemented in mission critical applications with companies such as BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon.

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Erle Robotics has unveiled the latest addition to its fleet of PiZero Smart robotic solutions. The Erle-Boat is a Linux-based smart aquatic vehicle that uses ROS (the Robot Operating System) and award-winning APM software autopilot to achieve different navigations modes.

APM Autopilot features include point-and-click programming and configuration for a quick and easy set-up. It also offers multiple command modes; including Acro, Stabilize, Loiter, Alt-hold, Return To Launchpoint, Land, Simple, Guided, Position, Circle, Follow Me, GeoFence, and Auto (which runs fully scripted missions using GPS waypoints).

Watch the video:

This latest device builds on the success of the PiZero Drone and PiZero Rovers. All models incorporate the Erle’s revolutionary PXFmini autopilot shield for the Raspberry Pi family 0/1/2/3.

“Schools, Universities and the Maker community are driving demand for our PXFmini, with a wide range of end uses, including our range of PiZero Drone kits, and a host of projects to create smart robotics,” said Carlos Urage CEO of Erle Robotics.

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