The Associahon lor Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSt) today announced Intel CEO Brian Krzanich as the ñrst keynote speaker, and The Weather Channel meteorologist Jim Cantore as ¡he host, 01ft.UVSI's XPONENTtAL2017, the largesl trade show lor the unmanned systems and robotics industry.
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INTEL CEO BRIAN KRZANICH TO SPEAK, THE WEATHER CHANNEL'S JIM CANTORE TO HOST AUVSI'S XPONENTIAL 2017
Hydroid teams with industry partners to demonstrate latest UUV capabilities during ANTX 2017
In August, during an advanced naval technology exercise known as ANTX in Newport, Rhode Island, Hydroid, Inc., L3 Aerospace Systems, Sparton Corporation and AeroVironment, Inc. collaborated to demonstrate the latest UUV capabilities of the Hydroid REMUS 600 UUV through a threat mission scenario conducted in the water.
The UUV was equipped with L3’s Rio Nino signals intelligence (SIGINT) collection payload, as well as a Sparton Hammerhead canister that contained an AeroVironment Blackwing UAV, which was launched during the exercise.
According to Hydroid, the fully-integrated vehicle demonstrated the “clandestine insertion of above water intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR),” which includes the collection of information in real-time, and launching a UAV covertly from depth.
“ANTX is an excellent opportunity for companies like ours to demonstrate the latest concepts and capabilities. With our partners, we were able to prove that UUVs are cross domain systems,” says Tom Reynolds, Hydroid’s vice president of U.S. Government Business.
“These technologies were very easy to integrate and we look forward to building on what we have learned from this demonstration.”
General Dynamics releases new Bluefin-9 autonomous UUV
During Oceans 2018 in Charleston, South Carolina on Tuesday, Oct. 23, General Dynamics Mission Systems released the new Bluefin-9 autonomous UUV.
Completely reengineered, the vehicle provides defense, commercial and academic customers with highly-detailed subsurface data in just minutes thanks to the combination of high navigational accuracy, outstanding sonar resolution, and precision manufacturing.
Capable of providing the same data collection capabilities of larger UUVs, the two-man portable Bluefin-9 autonomous UUV can be deployed and recovered from piers, a rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RHIB) or other vessels of opportunity.
“General Dynamics has invested in the redesigned Bluefin-9 and a broad team of engineering experts has made significant improvements to the design, production quality, modularity and reliability of the entire Bluefin Robotics product family to deliver cost-effective UUVs with more mission capability and range,” explains Carlo Zaffanella, a vice president and general manager of General Dynamics Mission Systems.
“We are proud to introduce this first product of a new generation of UUVs, designed to meet the dynamic operational challenges of our defense and commercial customers.”
The Bluefin-9 includes a removable data storage module (RDSM) that stores high-definition images, video and sonar data. Within minutes of the vehicle’s recovery, these images, video and sonar data can be accessed.
The UUV has a mission endurance of up to eight hours at a speed of three-knots. It can reach speeds of six-knots and dive to 200 meters.
Thanks to the UUV’s modularity, customers can exchange both the RDSM and battery to redeploy the Bluefin-9 in 30 minutes or less.
With all of its capabilities, the Bluefin-9 is ideal for a variety of mission types, General Dynamics says, including but not limited to, environmental surveying, water quality measurement and search and recovery.
From Unmanned Systems Magazine: Europe looks to unmanned systems for mine countermeasure work
As increasing demands continue to be placed upon naval forces across the contemporary operating environment, European maritime forces are on the verge of successfully exploiting autonomous mine countermeasure (MCM) technology to not only save levels in manpower but also extend operational effectiveness.
The successful detection and removal of mines in the maritime environment remains a critical requirement for maritime forces seeking to maintain the security of waterways and oceans around the world, a strategy which has seen the likes of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy support a dedicated MCM Force in Bahrain since 2003.
However, the introduction of autonomous MCM capabilities, which promises to allow maritime forces to find, fix and neutralize mines without loss of human life, could also allow commanders to free up personnel to undertake other demanding security missions such as those currently being conducted in the Strait of Hormuz following the detention of Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) by the Iranian Republican Guard Corps in August.
UK, France roadmap
As a result, autonomous MCM concepts of operation currently being devised by several maritime forces in Europe are heavily focused on the design and development of scalable and modular solution sets capable of accommodating a mix of manned and unmanned surface vessels — autonomous underwater vehicles, towed sonars and tethered remotely operated vehicles — integrated and networked to tactical operations centers via robust communications connections.
According to BAE Systems, which is tasked with supporting Thales, L3 ASV, Wood & Douglas and Saab as part of the UK Ministry of Defence’s and French Defence Procurement Agency’s Maritime MCM (MMCM) program, this mix of platforms and technology is specifically designed to deliver an "autonomous and remotely operated MCM solution" to maritime forces operating at reach.
With an aim to provide an operational solution to U.K. and French maritime forces for a two-year evaluation, the MMCM concept features a unmanned surface vehicle with integrated autonomous navigation system and obstacle detection and avoidance sonar; remotely operated vehicle with threat identification and neutralization capability; towed synthetic aperture sonar and autonomous underwater vehicle technology featuring similar SAS technology with multi-aspect functionality.
“They will perform their tasks autonomously with control from a host ship or shore-based [control] station via high-data-rate communication links ... meeting the operational requirements of both nations, incorporating state-of-the-art technologies including very high-resolution multi-view imaging sonars and sophisticated analysis tools to provide unparalleled levels of performance in automatic threat recognition and classification,” BAE Systems literature says.
MuMNS deployment
By the end of 2019, both British and French navies will be equipped with the Multi Shot Mine Neutralization (MuMNS) ROV manufactured by Saab, officials confirmed to Unmanned Systems.
According to Chris Lade, engineering and defense sales manager at Saab, each navy will receive a single MuMNS solution following successful "end to end" testing in Brest, France.
The news follows the ROV’s first concept demonstration in May 2019, which saw the MuMNS deployed by an autonomous launch and recovery system on board Thales UK’s Apollo concept, which features the Halcyon USV. The L3 ASV officially launched a pair of Halcyon MCM USVs on Dec. 17 to support the Anglo-French MCMM evaluations, which are due to begin in 2020.
As Lade tells Unmanned Systems, MuMNS comprises a “next-generation mine disposal vehicle with onboard sonar and cameras” designed to locate and identify targets, including underwater targets; ground, moored, floating and drifting mines; depth charges; torpedoes and improvised explosive devices.
Made up of the USV itself and the "Storm" mine disposal magazine and mine disposal system, which features a disruptor with integrated Remote Command Initiated System (RCIS), the MuMNS has been designed to provide end users with a flexible capability over legacy one-shot systems. In addition, greater cost effectiveness over legacy solutions means the MuMNS can also be used to support training serials, Lade says.
“MuMNS is a new operational concept for mine warfare,” Lade says before describing how the system has a 12 nautical mile operational range when autonomously launched from its sponsoring USV. The MuMNS is then directed to a target area through navigation by waypoints, with final approach to a target or mine like object manipulated by a human-in-the-loop.
A single MuMNS is also capable of carrying a total of three explosive charges in a variety of form factors, including shaped charge and immunization unit. A training round can also be integrated. Charges are deployed by the MuMNS’s retractable arm which is used to attach the payload to the target, before the AUV then withdraws itself to a safe distance.
A radio frequency receiver, connected to the charge, is then disengaged remotely, floating to the surface of the water by a tether up to 300 meters long before being initiated from the USV or sponsoring surface vessel via an RF signal. RF receivers have been designed to withstand rough sea states up to 4 knots, Lade says.
Efforts elswhere
Similar efforts in autonomous MCM capabilities are also being undertaken elsewhere in Europe through a collaboration between Belgium and the Netherlands following the selection of French original equipment manufacturers Naval Group and ECA Group to deliver an autonomous MCM program.
According to company officials, the consortium was officially contracted in March to replace the legacy MCM capabilities of the Belgian and Dutch navies with a “comprehensive, integrated and cyber-secure solution at a cost-effective ownership cost.”
Program requirements, official documentation describe, include the development of a toolkit of off-board MCM technologies, designed to allow maritime units to successfully conduct stand-off missions through the modular and scalable deployment of USVs; AUVs; ROVs; towed sonar arrays; and communications networks.
The program, worth approximately 1.8 billion euros, is due to supply both navies with a total of 12 MCM surface vessel motherships and toolkits of sub-systems, capable of allowing each navy to independently undertake countermine operations anywhere around the world.
Vessels will replace legacy and dedicated minehunters currently in service with Belgian and Dutch navies with initial deliveries due to run from 2024 to 2029. An initial operational capability is desired to be met the following year, company officials say.
The program calls upon Naval Group and ECA Group to devise a technology group capable of supporting autonomous MCM operations in permissive, non-permissive and expeditionary environments at depths down to 300m. CONOPs also call for unmanned technology subsets to be supported by manned assets, including clearance dive teams.
An ECA Group concept for a new countermine network. Image: ECA Group
ARCIMS above, SeaCat below
According to ECA Group, the joint effort will devise a mix of autonomous capabilities from its own suite of unmanned MCM integration system, which features unmanned surface and underwater vehicles as well as towed sonars and drones, in addition to technologies from Germany's Atlas Elektronik.
Atlas Elektronik has also been drafted to provide elements of its integrated mine countermeasures system; ARCIMS USV; and SeaCat autonomous underwater vehicle. Additional components will include a towed sonar array and vertical take-off and landing unmanned air vehicle.
Atlas Elektronik’s ARCIMS USV can feature a variety of mission modules to support sweep, mine hunting and disposal and anti-submarine warfare, as well as supporting the operation of Northrop Grumman’s synthetic aperture sonar.
With a top speed of more than 40 knots, the 11-meter surface vessel has the capacity to carry a maximum payload of four tons, including surface sensors such as radar and electro-optical payloads, company officials confirmed to Unmanned Systems. Similar to the Royal Navy and French Navy MMCM concept, ARCIMS can also be deployed via an autonomous launch and recovery solution, officials added.
The SeaCat measures up to 3.5 meters long depending on mission configuration. With a maximum speed of six knots, the SeaCat can operate in water down to 600 meters with a maximum operating range of about 20 nautical miles at a cruising speed of 3 knots.
The AUV is also capable of being operated in a tethered configuration as an ROV, providing operators with a maximum range out to 1,000 meters with a fiber optic cable.
Standard payloads include the Edgetech 2205 Side Scan Sonar and Tritech Micron DST Scanning Sonar systems. However, a modular "SwapHead" design means sensors can be rapidly traded out to respond to emerging mission requirements. Examples include the R2 Sonic Multi-beam echo sounder for bottom topology mapping; Norbit Wideband Multi-beam Sonar and video camera for bathymetric images; and pan-tilt frame video camera and imaging sonar for inspection.
All selected subsystems in the Belgian and Dutch navy requirements will be supported by a combat management suite in the form of a Center for Maritime Autonomy (CMA), according to an official statement from Atlas Elektronik. Such a concept aims to further extend autonomous capabilities, initially brought into service to support MCM missions, to additional operational requirements including anti-submarine warfare and the protection of critical national infrastructure.
The Belgian navy is an "ideal partner to launch the CMA because it is agile and open towards new concepts such as the MCM toolbox," says a concept paper Atlas Elektronik prepared for the navy.
“In adopting a holistic approach to naval innovation, the CMA will enable the Belgian navy to play a pivotal role as a thought and practice leader on maritime autonomy in the 21st century,” the document says.
The future of autonomous MCM capabilities across European navies will rest heavily upon the success of the Anglo-French two-year evaluation program due to commence in 2020. Once its operational effects have been realized in a real-time environment, the proliferation of USVs, AUVs, ROVs, towed sonars and UAVs looks set to follow in the medium term.
Above: Saab's multi-shot mine neutralization system, MuMNS. Image: Saab Below: MuMNS was one of the subjects of a visit of international countermine experts to Saab's U.K. headquarters in 2016. Photo: Saab.
REMINDER: AUVSI'S UNMANNED SYSTEMS DEFENSE CONVENES IN ARLINGTON, OCTOBER 25 TO 27
The Association tor Unmanned Vehicte Systems International will host Unmanned Systems Detense irom Oct. 25 to 27 al the Ritz-Carlton, Pentagon City in Arlington, Virg.nia. Theconierence witl bring logelher industry leaders and delense prolessionals íor Ihree days of nelworking, discussions, and presentations abou! innovations and the tuture 01 unmanned systems and deiense !echnotogy.
From Unmanned Systems magazine: Navy plans 'simpler truck' for its unmanned countermine mission
The U.S. Navy still plans to hunt for maritime mines using autonomous craft but the service likely will attack the problem from a different angle, says Adm. John Richardson, the chief of naval operations.
For much of the past decade, the Navy worked off a plan to replace its aging wood-hulled mine-hunting boats mostly with a network of systems launched from the service’s new littoral combat ships (LCS), anchored by an unmanned underwater vehicle called a Remote Multi-Mission Vehicle (RMMV) that would launch from the LCS and lead the mine-finding and destroying operations, relying on the most advanced sensors and associated equipment.
The reasoning behind the shift to an unmanned system was to get the manned ships — and particularly the sailors, divers and other personnel — out of the potential minefields and let unmanned systems do the dull but dangerous work. The difficulty, though, would be to develop a sophisticated and reliable system of platforms, sensors and links that can locate where the mines are — or, just as importantly, where they are not.
The Navy thought it had found such a platform in the RMMV, a 23-foot-long behemoth that is 18 feet high with the mast extended, a four-foot diameter and a weight of about 14,500 pounds, including the sonar.
Built by Lockheed Martin, the RMMV was once featured in a National Geographic television special on the LCS. But the Navy in early 2016 halted continued low-rate initial production of the remote submarine, mostly due to reliability and related issues noted during the countermine system’s technical evaluation testing between February and August 2015.
When Navy officials announced the cancellation, they said they would explore their options.
The U.S. Navy is testing unmanned undersea vehicles (UUVs) for countermine operations during open-sea exercises like Foal Eagle off the coast of the Korean peninsula. Photo: U.S. Navy
Rise of the USV
The Navy has now narrowed some of those options, CNO Richardson says.
“A portion of the LCS will still do mine countermeasures,” he says. “The sensor technology has always been pretty good, especially with the ability to find mines.”
The question, then, is what the Navy will use to carry those sensors. “You need a truck,” Richardson says. “We’ll probably go to a simpler truck.” He explains, “I’m thinking of an unmanned surface vehicle, relatively low-tech and affordable to acquire. It’s autonomous or semi-autonomous.”
Essentially, Naval Sea Systems (NAVSEA) command says, the Navy has designated the mine countermeasures (MCM) unmanned surface vehicle (USV) as the new platform to replace the RMMV to tow the AN/AQS-20 towed sonar slated for mine-hunting operations. That vehicle is the Common Unmanned Surface Vessel (CUSV), built by Textron Systems Unmanned Systems.
The MCM USV is an updated model of the USV craft that is part of the Unmanned Influence Sweep System (UISS) program meant to support both minesweeping and mine-hunting operations, using a network of unmanned platforms, sensors and communications links to find and neutralize mines
The USV design is modular and flexible, NAVSEA officials say, which allows for the sonar or sweep payload to be changed out easily. Because the MCM USV is based on the UISS craft, officials say, the additional required countermine integration with the LCS ships will be manageable and will focus on the sonar payload and associated integration.
Communications between the LCS or other host ship — as well as launch-and-recovery integration — will initially be completed for the UISS program, NAVSEA says. Following the sonar-to-USV integration, the MCM USV system will undergo system testing, command and control verification, and integration into the MCM system as the mine-hunting solution for the LCS MCM mission package.
Underwater vehicles will still have a role to play, however. The mission package includes the General Dynamics Knifefish, a heavyweight-class UUV designed to detect, avoid and identify mine threats, especially in high-clutter environments. Knifefish also gathers environmental data to provide intelligence support for other mine warfare systems, the company notes.
The design also allows “plug and play” integration with ship systems and mission modules, General Dynamics says, as well as the ability to integrate relatively easily with different kinds of ships, enabling “rapid mission turnaround time.”
The Navy awarded Textron Systems Unmanned Systems a $14.8 million contract in the spring for two additional fourth- generation CUSVs to support sonar deploy and retrieve systems for countermine operations.
Captain Jon Rucker, program manager for the Navy's Unmanned Maritime Systems program office, said at the time, “the craft and its associated systems will provide a modular capability that will be a key component of the Navy’s future mine-countermeasures efforts.”
An early prototype sonar deploy-and-retrieve system was fit-checked onto a mockup of the MCM USV in Aug 2017, NAVSEA says, “with very successful results.”
First demonstrated in 2009, the CUSV can carry multiple payloads, Textron says, including side-scan sonar, mine neutralization, nonlethal weapons, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance sensors.
Future assessments
The Navy plans to complete construction of the two MCM USVs, as well as the AN/ AQS-20 deploy-and-retrieve system,
and conduct the initial system-level- integration and testing in 2018.
The following year, the service expects to evaluate and assess the system along with other countermine packages off LCS 2 USS Independence off the Southern California coast.
“These early fleet user operations will provide feedback for the follow-on developmental testing and Operational Assessment planned for late 2019,” NAVSEA says. “This test period will ensure that the system is ready for a full operational test.”
NAVSEA says it hopes to perform those operational tests in late 2020. Initial Operational Capability for the system is planned for 2021, NAVSEA says.
That’s not to say the U.S. Navy does not practice countermine operations with unmanned vehicles now. For example, during the Foal Eagle 2015 exercises off the coast of the Korean peninsula, American and Republic of Korea (ROK) navies conducted a series of successful mine countermeasures exercise.
Navy personnel from mine countermeasures ships MCM 10 USS Warrior and USS MCM 14 Chief — along with teams from Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) 5, Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) 1, Naval Oceanography Mine Warfare Center, Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron 14, and Mobile Mine Assembly Group — participated in the training alongside ROK sailors and UUVs.
During the exercise, U.S. and ROK Navy ships and explosive ordnance disposal divers practiced clearing routes for shipping and conducted training surveys for clearing operational areas. In addition to ships, remotely operated vehicles were also used to rehearse mine countermeasures operations from under the sea.
“Operating in waters near the Korean peninsula provided us the most realistic training we could hope for in preparing for contingency operations,” says Lt. Cmdr. Michael Tyree, executive officer of Chief. “The geography and bathymetry can't be replicated anywhere else and it's good for our sonar operators, Mine Neutralization Vehicle pilots, and Mine Warfare evaluators to experience it firsthand.”
Richardson’s point about the need for a simpler truck for the advanced sensor suite is well taken. The actual identification and “neutralization” of mines is tricky. It’s difficult and time-consuming to recognize a rectangle-shaped underwater object as a mine instead of a dumped refrigerator in a debris-littered marine environment.
However, moving those sensors into place and around the area of concern takes notechnological leaps. The Navy needs a vehicle that will essentially move back and forth over a certain area in an almost grid-like fashion. As Richardson says, “a lot of this is just mowing the grass.”
That is why, he says, the Navy is considering an unmanned surface vehicle instead of a more complicated undersea one. “We don’t need to be that complex. I’m not convinced we need to be submerged.”
Less complex, he notes, means less expensive. “I’d like to get the affordability piece,” Richardson says.
There are additional benefits, he says. “If we reduce complexity, we make it more expeditionary. It will be able to be used by
more than the LCS. Right now, it’s pretty hard- wired to the LCS. We want to liberate that.”
While the Navy still plans to have certain LCS vessels dedicated for countermine operations, developing a simpler truck will open additional deployment possibilities, Richardson says.
“If we can build this in a shipping container or a couple of shipping containers,” Richardson says, “and if the host platform has sufficient power and space, I can even bring allies in — we have can have more ships do the [countermine] mission. We’ve never fought alone. Allies have some capability in mine countermeasures. Our system should be interoperable to the greatest degree possible.”
The greater modularity such a system would offer also would make those forces more agile, Richardson says, an attribute he acknowledged he wants to develop to a much greater degree throughout the service.
“It gives us the ability to employ capability on more things,” he says. “Right away, you multiply your options.”
The Navy can do more, he says, with fewer ships. And U.S. naval forces need to focus more on that than they have had to do in decades.
“We’re returning to a competitive stance with respect to sea control,” Richardson says.
That is particularly true along some coastal areas where mines are a major threat and concern — regions where the Navy is focusing its forces more than ever.
Below: Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Sean McDermott prepares to launch a mine-neutralization vehicle aboard the mine countermeasures ship USS Warrior in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operation, March 23, 2017, during Exercise Foal Eagle 2017. Photo: Petty Officer 2nd Class Jermaine M. Ralliford
Rite-Solutions selected to help US Navy develop future generations of UUV Family of Systems
A software development, systems engineering, information technology and learning development firm called Rite-Solutions has been selected to participate in a 5-year, $561.2 million contract to help the U.S. Navy develop future generations of its UUV Family of Systems (FoS).
Announced by the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) in Newport, Rhode Island, the contract will develop core technologies in 12 functional areas including payloads, vehicle control, and command and control. Rite-Solutions was one of 23 companies selected to participate in the contract.
“We will focus on three areas: software, architecture, and command and control functionality,” says Mike Coffey, executive vice president and GM at Rite-Solutions.
“Our strength is integrating disparate systems into a single, cohesive system of systems.”
NUWC will release task-order requests for proposal, which participating companies will bid on. Instead of sourcing a finished product—such as a UUV—though, NUWC will receive components from several different companies.
“This contract is a little unique,” Coffey explains. “NUWC is taking a best-of-breed approach to acquiring technologies that will enable them to develop, build and support UUV systems. They will integrate the different technologies in the prototype phases of UUV FoS development, which will establish the baselines for future production.”
Based in Middletown, Rhode Island, Rite-Solutions notes that it is usually a subcontractor to large system developers, but now, it is a prime contractor alongside them.
“We are pleased to be included on this contract, with some of the biggest and most reputable companies in the aerospace and defense industry,” Coffey says.
Overall, the contract has options that could bring the total amount to $794.5 million.
From Unmanned Systems Magazine: The present and future of Commercial unmanned maritime systems
Autonomous and unmanned maritime systems are being used for a plethora of operations commercially.
Unmanned Systems takes a look at some of the companies creating these platforms and the technologies that power them and gets perspectives from industry leaders on how to inspire the next generation of robotic maritime innovators.
Conveying action
Formed in 2018 by a group of engineers working in the AUV industry, Dive Technologies was launched with the intent of developing a low-cost, large-displacement AUV that could support the emerging needs of commercial and defense customers by being rapidly configured with different payloads and sensors.
“We had an idea that the AUV market would be in need of a platform like this over the next five years and beyond, so we decided to start Dive Technologies to bring our vision to fruition,” Dive Technologies founder and CEO Jerry Sgobbo tells Unmanned Systems.
Dive Technologies’ base AUV platform is named DIVE-LD. Expected to be used primarily for offshore geophysical surveys, the vehicle will be equipped with a standard commercial survey package, as well as other payloads that are unique to the company’s defense and research customers.
Sgobbo says the first DIVE-LD is being fabricated now and is expected to complete in-water testing by mid-2020. The AUV is being designed to support deep-water survey missions for oil and gas customers, as well as shallow-water survey missions for various commercial customers. The AUV will also be capable of supporting various defense applications as well.
“We chose the name Dive for our company because it conveys action. Our vehicles should be underwater accomplishing missions for our customers, not sitting on shore working through costly and time-consuming payload integrations,” Sgobbo says.
The ‘secret sauce’
While companies such as Dive Technologies have in-house staff who are perfectly capable of developing the technologies that power its AUV, not all entities have that luxury, which is where entities such as HydroComp Inc. come into play.
Founded in 1984, HydroComp is a small research consultancy and software provider that provides analysis services to naval architects and shipbuilders.
According to Donald MacPherson, technical director and cofounder of HydroComp, the consultancy’s goal is to make good vehicles with good drives into great systems. For HydroComp, this process starts with an interview.
“People have an idea of what they think they want, but sometimes we have to change their thinking about things,” MacPherson tells Unmanned Systems. With this in mind, HydroComp establishes what an entity’s core requirements are during the interview process, and begins to deconstruct what they’re planning on and hoping to achieve, as well as what represents an optimal system to meet those requirements.
MacPherson says HydroComp throws out constraints early on, “to see the best of all possible worlds,” but there are times when HydroComp has hard constraints that an entity has already set in place; for instance, the entity may have already selected a motor type or defined limits on how large a propeller can be.
Within those constraints, HydroComp seeks to optimize the components of a system while keeping the system as the core objective.
“Any one thing isn’t the secret sauce, but it’s the whole system,” MacPherson says.
HydroComp’s flagship product is NavCad, designed to predict and analyze vessel speed and power performance.
The software also “provides for the selection of suitable propulsion system components — engines, gears and propellers,” HydroComp says, and it can be used for the design and analysis of just about any type of monohull or catamaran, from large displacement vessels to fast planing craft.
Other software products HydroComp has developed include PropExpert, PropCad and PropElements; programs for propeller sizing and analysis, propeller CAD, resistance and powering, and sea-trial and analysis.
One vehicle that has benefited from HydroComp’s work is Tend Ocean’s Drone Tug, an unmanned vessel designed to tow large objects of varying and unknown dimensions. For this vehicle, HydroComp is designing an optimized propeller that will develop maximum thrust at the highest efficiency, which is important to preserve the energy budget — i.e., the fuel supply — and allow the vehicle to have the greatest range possible.
“When we talk about autonomy, autonomy requires you bring everything with you, including energy,” MacPherson says. “While we’re not involved in energy storage, we are involved in helping people use energy as efficiently as possible to expand the scope of autonomous missions.”
Inspiring the next generation
Developing technology that is fit for purpose and “not too bad on the eyes either,” Houston Mechatronics has developed technology that is not only useful, but aesthetically pleasing. The company’s flagship product, the Aquanaut, is an “all-electric underwater transformer” that can convert seamlessly between autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) and remotely operated vehicle (ROV).
In AUV mode, Aquanaut can cover up to 200 kilometers while performing typical AUV missions such as seabed mapping and wide area structure inspection. Equipped with several features that the company says differentiate it from other AUVs such as vertical thrust control and an articulating bow, the Aquanaut transforms by actuating four in-house designed and built high-reliability linear actuators. In one fluid motion, the hull separates, exposing two more control thrusters, the vehicle arms, and adding another degree of freedom to the vehicle head mechanism.
In ROV mode, the Aquanaut can accomplish several missions including turning a valve and scanning structures. These missions can be performed with a few mouse clicks, as the vehicle is controlled this way instead of using joysticks.
Houston Mechatronics’ Aquanaut is an "an all-electric underwater transformer." Photo: Houston Mechatronics
The company says its multi-mode machine vision system is made up of acoustic, optical, and laser-based tools that are processed into a dynamic point cloud using the computing power available onboard the vehicle. The point cloud is then compressed using the company’s new compression technology, which offers compression ratios between 5,000:1 and 75,000:1 (depending on the scene quality). Whether onboard a support ship or at the company’s home office, the operator can always maintain supervisory control over the vehicle.
Nicolaus A. Radford, Houston Mechatronics’ cofounder and CTO, says it's the company’s desire to create cool technology that could hopefully inspire the next generation of innovators and get them interested in unmanned maritime vehicles. That process starts early on, though, as Radford notes that during his youth, he never thought about the ocean as a place of opportunity.
“It felt rusty, smelly, old and very low tech and people that worked around the ocean were bearded with few teeth and a floppy hat,” Radford recalls.
Radford, who spent 14 years at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in the Dexterous Robotics Laboratory, remembers the first book he read about the space shuttle and the feeling of excitement he got from it.
“It felt hi-tech, high energy, smart, clean, and, more importantly, to be associated with it meant you were in another league because you must be a genius,” he says. Radford says the imagery from each industry “divides our early perception.
“Yes, there are pretty pictures of beaches and the ocean is awe inspiring and beautiful from a vacation standpoint, but as for working in it — do a Google image search — 'working in the ocean' and then do one for 'working in space.' Which one inspires you?” Radford asks.
With this in mind, Radford says making the ocean feel like a cool place to work starts in the schools, noting that his daughter is in a subsea robotics club at her middle school called Sea Tech. Radford volunteers there and helps the kids build ROVs using the SeaPerch kit from RoboNation.
“These kids are sold. And here’s the opportunity,” Radford says. “Combining robotics and the ocean is making the ocean high tech. I gave the middle school students a tour of HMI and they saw Aquanaut. And now, there has been a palatable change in the conversation about the ocean and the possibilities.”
Working in the ocean is expensive, Radford notes, so to push the industry forward also takes a community being willing to invest in the work.
“That’s already baked in for the space industry. We know it’s long and expensive and most importantly they are willing to change and adapt to new ideas because by nature it’s more cutting edge,” Radford says.
While some industries might be slow, and even push back against change, Radford says “that’s what start-ups do. They change things,” which creates the “tension and barrier to innovation and to new companies in the traditional ocean space of oil and gas.
“So, you have to have alligator blood to keep at it. Few folks do. But currently, we’ve got economics on our side. They can’t afford to keep doing it the same way. So, I like our chances.”
Above: Aquanaut posing with a safety diver at the NASA Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory during recent testing. Photo: Houston Mechatronics. Below: An artist's rendering of Dive Technologies' large-displacement AUV, DIVE-LD. Photo: Dive Technologies
Oscilla Power to further develop tech that enables AUVs to recharge themselves using ocean waves
The US Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded Oscilla Power Inc., a company focused on developing advanced technology to extract energy from ocean waves, a $200,000 grant to further develop technology that enables AUVs to recharge themselves using ocean waves.
Through their Rotary and Mission Systems group, Oscilla Power will work with Lockheed Martin during this Small Business Innovation and Research (SBIR) project to explore how they can equip their AUV and UUV systems with this capability.
“The development of a capability that can be integrated into commercial AUVs to provide enough power to recharge the on-board batteries could be potentially game-changing for ocean science and military operations,” explains Balky Nair, president of Oscilla Power.
Previously, solar panels have been used to recharge AUVs, but this approach suffered from very low power and constrained operations to during the day only, Oscilla Power notes. One of the biggest advantages of using waves for this purpose is that ocean waves are more than 100 times more energy dense than solar, which allows for much higher power to be produced. Higher power is advantageous to minimize surfacing and recharging time since AUVs spend most of their time working at depth.
Oscilla expects to demonstrate a fully working laboratory prototype in early 2021. If successful, the company plans to work with Lockheed Martin to progress to a full ocean demonstration shortly afterwards, with the ultimate goal of transitioning the technology to commercial and military platforms.