New Module for the Eelume Robot Platform
Eelume, Kongsberg Maritime and DNV will develop an environmental monitoring and survey module for the existing Eelume robot in an R&D contract awarded by Equinor.
The environmental monitoring and survey module will be added to the existing Eelume robot platform.
– This shows the versatility of the robot as a multipurpose sensor and tool carrier, says Morten Bjerkholt, CEO of Eelume.
Untethered Operations
The module will enable the autonomous range of Eelume robots to contribute and add value within Equinor’s environmental monitoring programme.
With this new sensor module, Eelume robots can be supplied with an extremely powerful instrumentation package, including the world-leading navigation system from Kongsberg Maritime, multibeam imaging and profiling sonars, HD cameras, ADCP, echosounder, hydrophone, CT, methane, oxygen and oil-in-water detection.
The module is part of the untethered and fully autonomous Eelume robot which will be pilot tested later this year.
Untethered operations are a prerequisite to enable Eelume’s subsea robot to carry out the missions and collect the data which the customers need.
An important motivation for the development is to reduce the use of expensive surface vessels needed to carry out inspection and intervention subsea.
Another very important factor is that a resident underwater drone is available 24/7 and can start a mission immediately regardless of a surface ship and weather and wind conditions.
Supportive Funding
Last year, Eelume was granted 3 million NOK from Innovation Norway to develop autonomy methods and algorithms for subsea resident UIDs (Underwater Intervention Drones).
Algorithms and software will be tested using Eelume’s robot, Eely500. GCE Ocean Technology supported Eelume and Skarv Technologies (Trondheim based consultancy company within autonomy) in a feasibility study in 2020 concerning exploring different platforms and solutions for developing and implementing autonomy.
Contact Information
Eelume was established in 2015 as a spin-off from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).
After a decade of research on snake robots in collaboration with the research organization SINTEF, we decided to pursue industrial subsea applications of these amazing mechanisms.
Eelume is a disruptive technology for subsea Inspection, Maintenance and Repair (IMR).
