LoLo and SAM have the leading roles when SMaRC (Swedish Maritime Robotics Centre). runs robotic demonstrations in the archipelago. While these two robotic prototypes circulate in the bay, discussions on land focus on how to make tomorrow's underwater robots as agile as possible and how to develop long-endurance models that can reach inaccessible areas. Both areas have great potential to replace measurements and monitoring that today require ships and divers, according to Ivan Stenius, project manager at SMaRC.

"If you can carry out measurements with autonomous vehicles, you can avoid climate footprints but still achieve greater geographical coverage, all year round." he says.

Ivan Stenius, Principal Investigator in SMaRC. Photo: Isabell Stenson

"You can also access areas we would otherwise not be able to reach. The technologies we develop here could contribute to large-scale mapping of the seabed. This is a huge potential that we have only just begun to explore".

Sea-based surveillance companies

Autonomous underwater vehicles are also requested to maintain security and control of critical offshore infrastructure such as wind power farms and submarine cables and pipelines.

"The gas leaks from the Nord Stream pipeline clearly demonstrated to the public that underwater infrastructure requires inspection," says Ivan Stenius.

According to him, there are several opportunities to combine underwater vehicles with surface robots and drones. The team is also working on how to setup different inspection rounds for the robots. It would be like a security company that can continuously monitor an area and perform routine tasks.

To make sure that maritime robots are reliable systems, they need to be able to recharge their batteries below the surface. Doctoral student Sriharsha Bhat and his colleagues demonstrate how the SAM (Small & Affordable Maritime Robot) communicates with a docking station in the turbid bay when trying to find it and dock on its own.

“Navigation is a major challenge below the surface. Radio waves in GPSs that are used on land do not work at all in the water. So instead, we test several sensors that could improve SAM's own manoeuvring ability," he explains.

Training specialist teams

One of the robots being developed will be able to work independently in remote sea areas, for instance below sea ice and glaciers. Around this bright yellow piece - LoLo (Long-range Long-endurance maritime robot), several of the doctoral students have gathered to go through today's test run, where they have just tried to carry out a dive and discuss adjustments that need to be done.

"This is what is exciting and innovative, we cannot compete with the major robot manufacturers, but here we have great opportunity to assemble parts ourselves and test our programmes and algorithms," says Aldo Teran, PhD student at KTH.

“Everything becomes more flexible. We are not dependent on a particular manufacturer, our control room is a couple of computers and we can transport LoLo on a trailer to any test environment we want".

Aldo Teran, doctoral student in the SMaRC team. Photo: Isabell Stenson

One of the project's focus areas is the training of future marine engineers. At the same time as new robots are developed, students are trained to understand underwater systems and underwater vehicles, skills that are requested by the maritime industry and the armed forces.

“When SMaRC was formed, we had no hub in Sweden that took responsibility for, and ensured such skill training in maritime robotics. We believe that this is an important area for Sweden and the proper competence are required if we are going to be able to stay in the forefront. One of SMaRC’s aims is also for doctoral and engineering students to be experienced in mistakes and troubleshooting when entering the industry, which give them a very coveted competence," says Ivan Stenius.

The harbor of the Askö Laboratory is crowded as the various demonstrations take place one after the other. Invited guests learn about the progress and the challenges currently being faced, and intensive discussions concern the next stages of development.

"This is a very convenient platform for us and our partners to exchange ideas on how to move forward," Ivan Stenius concludes.

Text: Isabell Stenson