Revolutionizing Subsea Inspection: DeepOcean’s Autonomous Inspection Drone Takes Home OTC 2024 Award
The Autonomous Inspection Drone (AID) developed by DeepOcean in collaboration with Argus Remote Systems and Vaarst has been awarded the OTC 2024 Spotlight on New Technology Award. This drone aims to provide more cost-efficient subsea inspections with higher-quality and more precise data.
The AID is based on the Rover MK2 ROV from Argus, with upgraded hardware and software packages. Argus is responsible for the AID platform and navigation algorithm, while DeepOcean is in charge of the digital twin platform, mission planner software, and live view of the AID in operation. Vaarst has contributed the machine vision camera Subslam 2x for autonomous navigation and data collection.
The drone is compact, measuring 1.25 x 0.85 x 0.77 m and weighing 320 kg in air. It can operate in water depths up to 3,000 m, travel in DP mode, and has station-keeping and remote control capabilities. The drone successfully completed subsea trials at Aker BP’s Alvheim Field in the Norwegian North Sea, where it inspected subsea trees and other infrastructure during a 10-day campaign. Operations were supervised remotely from both the Edda Fauna vessel and Remota’s remote operations center in Haugesund, Norway.
DeepOcean’s development of this drone will revolutionize subsea inspection by providing better quality data at a lower cost than traditional methods of subsea inspection using manned vessels or ROVs with human operators.
