Wind and water: undersea drone readies to aid offshore boom
tech.hindustantimes.comIn a wave tank at a robot laboratory in the Scottish capital Edinburgh, engineers observe in silence as an underwater drone rises stealthily to the surface.
The team, which led the development of the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) at Heriot-Watt university, believe the submersible machine is a game-changer for offshore wind farms, obviating the need for divers.
The engineers reckon it will soon be ready to perform inspections and maintenance at wind farms, transforming the nature of the high-risk and costly endeavours just as the industry is set for huge expansion.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has promised to make the UK the "Saudi Arabia" of wind power, with plans to generate enough electricity from offshore to power every UK home by 2030.
While Johnson is on his way out of office, the industry is banking on the expansion plans, especially after Russia's invasion of Ukraine sent the price of traditional carbon energy through the roof.
"We have to imagine that in 10, 15 years time there will be hundreds of wind farms, which means thousands of wind turbines all across the coast of the UK," Yvan Petillot, a robotics and autonomous systems professor at Heriot-Watt, told AFP.
"You also have hydrogen technology being developed and all of this will need to be maintained, inspected and serviced.
"What we are developing is remote technologies where people can inspect and maintain those assets from shore, without putting anyone in harm's way."
- Accumulation of micro-organisms -
In May the ROV, which is equipped with sensors and advanced software, conducted what is believed to be the first ever autonomous offshore wind farm inspection.
The device was deployed at French energy firm EDF's Blyth wind farm, off the coast of
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