The aim is to develop on-demand shipping and nearshore operation services based on unmanned underwater and surface vessels. The system will be facilitated by interconnected vehicles equipped with specialized sensor technology, a reliable data transfer cloud network for over- and underwater communication, a monitoring station and a real-time web-based user interface. Autonomous vessel technology will be used where possible; however, some operations will still involve human control through e.g. remotely operated vehicles. Application examples are anti-grounding and inspection services or emission and bathymetry measurements. The disruptive concept has the potential to improve maritime and human safety, to increase flexibility and accessibility of European waterways and to reduce costs for a multitude of maritime stakeholders.
RoboVaaS is funded by the MarTERA partners German Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi), Italian Ministry of Education, Universities and Research (MIUR) and Irish Marine Institute (MI) and co-funded by the European Union.
Coordinator
Johannes Oeffner, Fraunhofer Center for Maritime Logistics and Services, Germany
Consortium
Fraunhofer Center for Maritime Logistics and Services, Research institute, Germany
Kraken Robotik GmbH, SME, Germany
University of Padova (SIGNET), University, Italy
Hamburg University of Technology (smartPORT), University, Germany
SonarSim, SME, Ireland
University of Limerick (CRIS), University, Ireland
Hamburg Port Authority, Other, Germany