On August 14, the unmanned vessel USV Maxlimer completed a three-week mission to explore the Atlantic seabed. This project was partially funded by the European Space Agency (ESA). Operators remotely controlled robotic vehicles from a base in Tallsbury in the east of England.
On July 23, USV Maxlimer left the port of Plymouth. He then walked 460 kilometers southwest, digitally mapping over a thousand square kilometers of the continental shelf at a depth of about a kilometer, and returned to port. The topography of the seabed was studied by the UAV using a multi-beam echo sounder.
To control the ship, satellite communications were used, and orientation in space was determined using three independent satellites. The marine robot is equipped with cameras, microphones, radar, and a thermal imager to help operators visually control it in space.
The duration of the mission of 22 days is due to the slow speed of the vessel. The hybrid diesel-electric motor propels the Maxlimer to only 4 knots (7.4 km / h). SEA-KIT Executive Director and Designer Ben Simpson noted the efficiency of the used power plant, which saved 4.5 times more fuel than planned. The estimated cruising range was 22 thousand kilometers, or just over half the length of the equator.
Initially, the USV Maxlimer was supposed to make a transatlantic crossing to the coast of America. However, the coronavirus pandemic has made adjustments to the plans of the developers.
Project prospects
The USV Maxlimer is a compact vessel 12 meters long and 2.2 meters wide. The autonomous transport was designed by the shipbuilding company SEA-KIT International Ltd. The project was supported by Hushcraft Ltd, which develops electric motors and batteries.
Maxlimer was originally conceived to participate in the Shell Ocean Discovery XPRIZE competition, which invited enthusiasts to find new solutions for autonomous sea day exploration and mapping. The British project took first place in it.
In May 2020, the developers demonstrated the capabilities of a marine drone. As an experiment, the USV Maxlimer delivered 5 kilograms of shellfish across the English Channel from the UK to Belgium in 22 hours. And on the way back, the ship was loaded with Belgian beer. Both cargoes were safely delivered to the recipients. The delivery process was monitored by representatives of the UK Department of Transport and the European Space Agency.
“This ship is almost like a marine pickup truck. It is durable, easily adaptable to conditions, and has a huge potential for use, ”- said Simpson about the transport.
SEA-KIT International Director James Fanshaw compared the USV Maxlimer's remote control to a miniature captain's bridge. “The operator at the station, managing the vessel, sees everything that gets into the camera lens from the stern of the vessel. The video stream is transmitted almost in real time, ”he said.
If visual devices and satellite communications suddenly turn off, an autonomous control system will help to avoid collisions with other ships.
Business became interested in robots. Thus, the Dutch company Fugro, engaged in the collection and analysis of geodata, announced the conclusion of a contract for the acquisition of several autonomous vessels USV Maxlimer.