Maritime Robotics

Maritime Robotics is a Norwegian company working on maritime autonomy, describing itself as a global leader in advanced maritime drones, or uncrewed surface vessels, and in the software that makes them autonomous. Its stated aim is to enable ocean space autonomy and to lead the future of maritime autonomy, making operations at sea safer, more sustainable and more efficient with lower fuel use and better protection of societies, people and assets. The core of the business is the Autonomous Navigation System, which gives both uncrewed and crewed surface vessels the ability to navigate complex coastal areas and open seas, working through a sense, decide and act cycle that gathers data from advanced sensors, analyses it to make navigational decisions and then executes the plan. The system has three core components. The Vehicle Control System, also described as the Remote Control Center, is the primary interface for monitoring and controlling the vessel remotely and maintaining constant communication with operators. SeaControl is the onboard control system, managing everything from navigation to system diagnostics. SeaSight provides 360-degree situational awareness for real-time assessment of environmental conditions and potential hazards. Action plans run in one of two modes: operator-guided, where the system proposes a plan the operator can approve or modify, or fully autonomous, where the system decides and alters navigation without human intervention. The company frames autonomy as a spectrum rather than an end state, running from smart ships through assisted and semi-autonomous systems to fully autonomous ones, and works with customers and partners to set the level that suits their business model. The system integrates a wide array of navigation and data collection sensors and can be used in conjunction with other robots. Its sea drones are built exclusively around that system as versatile multi-functional sensor platforms and comprise The Otter, The Otter X, The Mariner and The Mariner X. They are applied to marine mapping and surveying with turn-key uncrewed geophysical survey configurations for waters ranging from shallow sheltered waterways to deep ocean, to oceanographic data collection using oceanographic, meteorological, geophysical or biological sensor packages, to maritime surveillance and inspection, and to maritime transportation. Defence and security is a significant strand: at NATO's REPMUS and Dynamic Messenger exercises in Portugal the company demonstrated seabed mapping and rapid environmental assessment, persistent monitoring of subsea cables, pipelines and offshore installations, mine countermeasures, towing of acoustic arrays for anti-submarine warfare, and deployment of a remotely operated vehicle from an Otter. Support and service is handled in-house, covering troubleshooting and repair of hardware and software using remote connections, service and maintenance, spare parts, upgrades and modifications, training courses for up to six participants held at its own training centre or the customer's office, and rental of Otters and Mariners from its fleet.