Ocean Infinity, in partnership with the University of Portsmouth, Airborne Robotics and Bentley Telecom is to develop autonomous offshore wind farm inspection technology.
The system, developed in the Drone Swarm for Unmanned Inspection of Wind Turbines (Dr-SUIT) project, will use aerial “drone swarms” deployed from an uncrewed marine robotic vessel.
Using 5G and satellite connectivity, the project will see a swarm of drones autonomously inspect wind turbines subsequently removing the need for manual, human inspection.
An Armada uncrewed robotic vessel will act as the host vessel for the aerial drones, facilitating launch and recovery, recharge, data download and transmission to shore via satellite.
Ocean Infinity business development director Ramsay Lind said: “Not only will this uncrewed solution see a reduced risk to human life but it will also reduce the environmental impact of wind farm inspection.
“The Armada vessels are a low-emission alternative to traditional vessels, emitting up to 90% fewer greenhouse gasses”.
Sarinova Simandjuntak, from the University of Portsmouth’s School of Mechanical and Design Engineering, added: “Ultimately, we are aiming to develop a system that can detect and monitor defects or damages inside the turbine and the entire structure of a wind turbine in a safe and effective way.
“This will benefit offshore wind farms, reducing the time they have to shut down for maintenance and therefore increasing availability and supply.”
The £1.67m project will culminate in a system demonstration in 2022.
Dr-SUIT is funded by the Future Flight Challenge programme from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund.