Sponsor: Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command
Project Leads: Brian Polagye (UW), Aaron Marburg (UW-APL), Geoff Hollinger (OSU)
The goal of this project is to develop and demonstrate a robotic platform capable of autonomous inspection of subsea infrastructure. Operations and maintenance (O&M) costs are a significant driver in the economics of marine hydrokinetic (MHK) energy generation systems. MHK converters are frequently installed offshore and in areas of strong tides or currents, which makes them difficult and dangerous to access. Robotic systems offer a compelling alternative for the regular inspection of MHK, and operating remotely with little or no human oversight. This program upgrades a medium-sized inspection-class remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to a fully computer-controlled robotic platform, and develops perception and autonomy algorithms to allow it to inspect MHK converters with minimal operator input.
