INESC TEC supports tests of robotic technologies for the inspection of offshore infrastructures

30th January 2023

The main goal of the latest call by the European project ATLANTIS is to promote the use of robotic technologies for the inspection of offshore structures, particularly wind turbines. The use of robotic vehicles operating offshore will allow covering the operational costs related to the inspection and maintenance of wind turbines (currently representing close to 30% of the total costs of wind farms). This reduction will lead to a reduction in energy consumption costs.

Andry Maykol Pinto, INESC TEC researcher, professor at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (FEUP), and project coordinator, explained that this call will facilitate the entry of new robotic technologies into a strong international market, "first, by supporting companies and scientific institutes that develop robotic technologies through subsidised tests, and second, by demonstrating the added value of this technology to maritime asset owners".

Aimed at European start-ups, SMEs, universities, and research centres dedicated to the development or implementation of services resorting to robotic maritime inspection technologies, the call is open until February 26 and will select at least three organisations.

The activities planned for the call are expected to start in July and include tests at the ATLANTIS Test Centre, which features pioneering facilities at European level (built within the scope of said project), located in Viana do Castelo. In this sense, the selected entities will be able to benefit from the infrastructures and services of said Centre, testing their technologies on the coast or at offshore locations.

It will be an opportunity to test Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs), Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) and Autonomous Surface Vehicles (ASVs). In addition to these technologies, the selected entities will be able to test operation optimisation software or artificial intelligence tools for maritime assets inspection.

Located in Viana do Castelo, the Centre provides unique conditions for carrying out said tests - not only in atmospheric terms, but also in terms of risk reduction for the validation of technology in an almost real environment.

Andry Maykol Pinto explained that "the financial support provided to the selected entities encompasses all operational costs at the Atlantis Test Centre and specialised technical support to carry out the tests". The project coordinator believes that this is a "unique opportunity for companies, as they will be able to quantify the performance of their products, without any cost, while increasing the visibility of their commercial portfolio to potential customers".

Offshore wind power is crucial to reduce the dependence on fossil fuels and the decarbonisation of society. The installed capacity in Europe is expected to triple over the next decade, because of new concessions, the development of wind farms and new technologies.

The European project ATLANTIS - The Atlantic Testing Platform for Maritime Robotics: New Frontiers for Inspection and Maintenance of Offshore Energy Infrastructures, led by INESC TEC, with the participation of EDP NEW and support from top technological and academic partners, reinforces the development of technologies for monitoring and maintaining wind infrastructures at sea. The project has created a pioneering platform in Europe that aims to demonstrate the robotic technologies and solutions that are essential to the inspection and maintenance of offshore wind farms around the world.

The proposed technologies must be aligned with the proposed inspection scenarios established by ATLANTIS project – which are available on the project’s page.