V O L U M E 3 N O . 1 • S P R I N G 2 0 1 3 • A U V S I • 2 7 0 0 S o u t h Q u i n c y S t r e e t , S u i t e 4 0 0 , A r l i n g t o n , VA 2 2 2 0 6 , U S A
Unmanned Systems and Energy
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VOLUME 3 NO.1 • SPRING 2013
CONTENTS
Editorial Vice President of Communications and Publications, Editor Brett Davis davis@auvsi.org Managing Editor Danielle Lucey lucey@auvsi.org
4 Mine of the Future Australia takes the lead in robotic mine activity
Contributing Writers Kym Bergmann Justin Manley Yvonne Headington Advertising Senior Advertising and Marketing Manager Lisa Fick fick@auvsi.org +1 571 255 7779
2 Essential
Components
14 Spotlight Ramora performs heavy lifting of munitions near pipelines
The latest on energy harvesting
8 State of the Art
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Energy around the world A publication of
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Networked Oceans
Timeline The history of ROVS
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Market Report ROVs versus AUVs
How networks can enhance maritime operations
President and CEO Michael Toscano
13
Q&A Schiebel’s Camcopter inspects power lines
Executive Vice President Gretchen West AUVSI Headquarters 2700 South Quincy Street, Suite 400 Arlington, VA 22206 USA +1 703 845 9671 info@auvsi.org www.auvsi.org
On the cover: A Komatsu 930E FrontRunner navigates autonomously as a part of Rio Tinto’s Mine of the Future concept. Photo by Christian Spragoe, courtesy Rio Tinto. Mission Critical is published four times a year as an official publication of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International. Contents of the articles are the sole opinions of the authors and do not necessarily express the policies or opinion of the publisher, editor, AUVSI or any entity of the U.S. government. Materials may not be reproduced without written permission. All advertising will be subject to publisher’s approval and advertisers will agree to indemnify and relieve publisher of loss or claims resulting from advertising contents. Annual subscription and back issue/reprint requests may be addressed to AUVSI. MISSION CRITICAL
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Essential Components
A multipurpose mining robot that CMU’s NREC is developing for Anglo American. Photo courtesy Carnegie Mellon University.
Anglo American, Carnegie Mellon Team for Mining Robotics Development Carnegie Mellon University has signed a five-year master agreement with one of the world’s largest mining companies, London-based Anglo American PLC, to develop robotic technologies for mining. The university’s National Robotics Engineering Center and Field Robotics Center will design, build and deploy mining robots, robotic tools and autonomous technologies in partnership with Anglo American’s Technology Development Group. “This agreement will break new ground in mining technology,” says Dimi Apostolopoulos, principal investigator and senior systems scientist at NREC. “We will apply robotics to underground mining tasks that are perilous and extremely challenging for humans. Our robotic solutions will improve productivity through innovations in processes and technologies.” The university will seek to develop advanced perception, electromechanical and robotic systems for use by the company. Immediate applications will include robotic mining, mine mapping and automated inspections, with other applications to be explored. “We will work hard to get production robotics in place as soon as possible,” Apostolopoulos said. Advances in robotics is intended to allow the mining of hard-to-reach ore deposits that can’t be economically extracted under existing methods and mine layouts, the university says. “Working with top robotics experts is essential to our technology and innovation programs,” says Donovan 2
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Waller, who leads automation and remote control technology development for Anglo American. “Our agreement with Carnegie Mellon University will allow us to rapidly deploy new systems in our platinum mines and develop technologies that will shape our future operations.” An artist’s conception of a future mining device on the moon. Image courtesy NASA.
NASA Kicks Off 2013 Moon Mining Competition NASA would like to take the concept of long-distance robotic mining and stretch it to new lengths — namely, to the moon. The aerospace agency has scheduled the fourth annual Lunarbotics Mining Competition for 20-24 May at the Kennedy Space Center, Fla. The competition is open to universities around the world, and 50 teams, the maximum allowed, have already signed up for the 2013 competition. Teams must design and build a “Lunabot” excavator that can mine and deposit at least 10 kilograms of simulated lunar material in 10 minutes. “NASA will directly benefit from the competition by encouraging the development of innovative lunar excavation concepts from universities, which may result in
clever ideas and solutions which could be applied to an actual lunar excavation device or payload,” NASA says on its website.
Essential Components
Last year’s grand prize went to the University of Alabama in collaboration with Shelton State Community College. The largest corporate sponsor of the event is Caterpillar, which has so far confined its mining activities to Earth, although it has incorporated automated vehicles into its fleets.
SCAN IT
or
Click IT:
Bluefin’s 21-inch AUV. Photo courtesy Bluefin Robotics.
Power Line Inspection Bot Moves Ahead
“This collaboration enables our customers to save operational costs by using enhanced data acquisition techniques for pipeline inspection,” says Omer Poroy, vice president of business development at Bluefin Robotics. “Offering SeeByte’s software with our vehicles provides a cost-effective and time-efficient solution to what can regularly be viewed as a complex task.”
The Electric Power Research Institute is continuing work on its power line inspection robot, which circumvents current unmanned aircraft flight restrictions by moving along electrical transmission lines.
The SeeTrack AutoTracker enables AUVs to perform pipeline inspections using onboard payload sensors to detect the pipeline and then automatically adjusts the vehicle’s path so it can optimally track along the pipeline.
The robot is intended to automatically traverse 80 miles of transmission lines twice a year, “delivering information that utilities can act on in real time,” according to the institute.
“I am pleased to grow our relationship and experience in working with Bluefin Robotics and their vehicles,” says Ioseba Tena, SeeByte’s sales manager. “Having worked with Bluefin in the past in conjunction with our SeeTrack Military product, it is encouraging that we are now in a position to integrate SeeTrack AutoTracker with another of their vehicles, to offer customers an overall solution for pipeline inspection.”
To see a video of EPRI’s power line inspection robot in action, scan this barcode with your smartphone.
EPRI built a technology demonstrator in 2010, as well as a realistic array of electrical lines for testing it, and has been refining that design since. The robot, dubbed Ti, uses visual and infrared cameras to inspect its path and the condition of wire components and will be able to compare past and current images of specific components to see if they have degraded over time. The robot could also be equipped with a lidar sensor to measure its position and “see” nearby structures. EPRI is planning to build another prototype that will incorporate lessons learned from the technology demonstrator, including a power harvesting system that will allow the robot to fuel itself from the shield wires on power lines.
Bluefin, SeeByte Partner for Pipeline Inspection Capability Bluefin Robotics and SeeByte announced in late December that they will collaborate to provide their technologies for deepwater export pipeline collaborations. Bluefin’s 21-inch autonomous underwater vehicle will be equipped with SeeByte’s SeeTrack AutoTracker.
Eglin AFB Surveying Industry for UUVs The Air Force Test Center at Eglin Air Force Base is seeking companies that can provide unmanned underwater vehicles for the Small Unmanned Marine Vehicle Systems (SUMS) program. The UUVs and their sensor payloads would be used to recover air-delivered test weapons for the Air Force 96th Test Wing at Eglin AFB. Air Force officials say they will award a support contract for the SUMS mission from January to December 2014, with a maximum of four one-year options. The companies should be able to provide equipment, operations and maintenance at Eglin, along with other locations, according to an Air Force press release. The Air Force also needs two ground control stations per mission, which should be launched either from shore or a 40-foot work boat. The systems the Air Force is seeking will have an endurance of six to nine months at 420 nautical miles away from the control stations. MISSION CRITICAL
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MINE OF THE FUTURE AUSTRALIAN MINES LEAD THE WORLD IN AUTONOMOUS MINING BY KYM BERGMANN
A Caterpillar truck outfitted with the company’s Proximity Awareness function, which tracks its location and the location of other trucks and obstacles. Photo courtesy Caterpillar.
A
ustralia currently produces 40 percent of the world’s iron ore in an environment of increasing cost pressures on mining companies. This is a huge business — last year Australia exported 120 million tons of iron ore. The spot price fluctuates, but at an average of $150 per ton, this works out to $18 billion per year. So if companies can improve productivity even by a few percent, this The Cape Lambert Port Expansion Update at Rio Tinto’s iron translates into significant ore mine in Pilbara, Australia. amounts of cash. Photo by Christian Spragoe, For this reason, Australian companies have been moving toward the use of autonomous mining equipment and systems for several years. The current leader is Rio Tinto, which has been 4
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courtesy Rio Tinto.
investing heavily in the use of automated trucks, trains and drilling rigs. Rio has even gone so far as trademarking their “Mine of the Future” concept. After showing little public interest in moving down this path, Australia’s other major miner, BHP Billiton, is now also looking at similar technologies. One of the principal elements of Mine of the Future is the use of Komatsu’s 930E FrontRunner series of trucks, with each one able to carry around 300 tons of ore. The vehicles have a diesel-electric drive, where — similar to a locomotive — a generator produces DC current that powers individual propulsion motors. This
Another view of Rio Tinto’s Pilbara mine area. Photo by Christian Spragoe, courtesy Rio Tinto.
concept has existed for some time and, for example, was used in Germany’s World War II Ferdinand heavy assault guns.
began in 2008. The trucks have moved more than 84 million tons of material since the start of the project and are running above plan at JSE.
FrontRunner is the brand name for the autonomous version of these trucks, five of which initially were being operated at Rio’s West Angelas mine in the East Pilbara region of Western Australia from 2008. Now the company has ordered an additional 150 units. The vehicles are controlled remotely on site and use a combination of sensors — principally onboard radar and GPS. Komatsu has included other items of mining equipment, including a bulldozer, a grader and a hydraulic excavator.
The Australian site seems to be the first — and certainly the largest — successful use of aboveground autonomous mining equipment. An earlier trial in Chile with the Komatsu vehicles had some teething difficulties that now appear to have been overcome. In Sweden — a world leader in many aspects of mining technology — autonomous systems have been used for several years in a very deep underground mine near Kiruna, above the Arctic Circle.
Control of the equipment takes place through an onsite supervisory computer, though in future operations will be conducted even further away in Rio’s Perth-based operations center. Through a process of mapping the environment of the mine, a GPS-equipped truck is able to navigate its way to a loader, which is also equipped with GPS, and then transport the ore to a predetermined location. While moving around the site, vehicles maintain a programmed safe minimum distance between each other and the onboard radar presumably warns of any new objects — such as people — that unexpectedly appear. In the case of doubt, the vehicle stops. Rio Tinto says that the trial is progressing and vehicles are now located at the Yandicoogina mine in Western Australia, which has a fleet of 10 Komatsu driverless haul trucks. The trucks are used for all haulage requirements in the Junction South East (JSE) pit, moving high-grade, low-grade and waste material from multiple loading units. According to the company, the 10 trucks have traveled a total of 1,076,000 kilometers since trials
Cost Savings The Rio Mine of the Future has the potential to radically change the structure of the industry by moving to more reliable, safer and ultimately cheaper autonomous technologies. Quantifying these benefits is difficult from the outside, and, given the competitive nature of the industry and union nervousness about potential job losses, the company presents information only in broad detail. However, the savings look to be substantial if and when the use of autonomous technologies becomes widespread. For example, to operate a truck for a continuous 24-hour period for seven days a week, a minimum of four drivers is required. They need to be housed and fed in a very remote and, therefore, extremely expensive location. Once support staff are taken into account, it is easy to see how each truck might need up to 10 people to keep it in operation. Each person is on a salary in excess of MISSION CRITICAL
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Automated Mining — continued from Page 5
$100,000 per year and each individual needs accommodation, regular air transport to and from the site, access to medical care and so on. An autonomous truck controlled from a major city such as Perth has the potential to dramatically reduce costs if used in sufficient numbers. In addition, autonomous trucks are more efficient to operate when controlled by computers rather than fallible human drivers. Just as a car uses 10 percent less fuel when on cruise control, the same is true for heavy earthmoving equipment.
Other Companies’ Approach While Rio and Komatsu have made a lot of progress, BHP Billiton are now also stirring from their slumber. They have formed an alliance with Komatsu’s main competitor Caterpillar, which is also introducing an autonomous truck and potentially other systems as well. Caterpillar has a strong pedigree in this field and in 2007 performed well in test and trial activities organized by DARPA. BHP Billiton plans to trial up to 15 Caterpillar vehicles, also in the Pilbara, at its Jimblebar iron ore mine.
The Caterpillar vehicle, marketed under the Cat MineStar trademark, is said to be more autonomous than its Komatsu competitor and possesses more onboard features. Caterpillar states that the equipment in the series has a number of control modes, from remote to semiautonomous and, finally, autonomous. Like Rio, the BHP Billiton fleet will be controlled from a center in Perth. A third large Australian iron ore mining company, Fortescue Metal, is similarly making use of these trucks and has plans to expand their number — to the obvious concern of unions, which are keen to preserve jobs. The Australian iron ore mining industry looks to be on the cusp of a major structural change, where autonomous systems will become the norm, rather than a curiosity. As cost pressures increase through additional taxation, wage growth, skills shortages, fluctuating ore prices and intense international competition, the rise of the machines looks inevitable. Some analysts have concluded that by the year 2030 all major mining activities — not just in Australia — will be autonomous. Kym Bergmann is editor of Asia Pacific Defence Reporter and Defence Review Asia.
Increasinghumanpotential.org promotes the use of unmanned systems and robotics in the following categories: • By Land, Air and Sea
• Helping the Environment
• Jobs and Economy
• Fostering Education and Learning
• Enhancing Public Safety
• Increasing Efficiency in Agriculture
• Mitigating and Monitoring Disasters
• FAA Flight Restrictions
Discover the Endless Benefits of Unmanned Systems 6
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STATE OF THE ART
Anchorage, Valdez, Prudhoe Alaska In 2011, BP Exploration Alaska and the Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute demonstrated the use of an Aeryon Scout small UAS as a tool for gathering aerial imagery to aid in oil spill cleanup efforts. In 2012, BP demonstrated the Scout as a tool for pipeline inspection.
Richland, Wash. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest Laboratory has developed the Sensor Fish, a tiny device packed with accelerometers, pressure gauges and other instruments that mimic what juvenile salmon experience as they move through the waters of hydroelectric dams on their way to the ocean. The work, which has taken more than a decade, has led to new dam turbine designs that are easier for the fish to negotiate.
Hartsville, South Carolina Menlo Park, Calif. QBotix is marketing its QTS, or QBotix Tracking System, a series of monorailmounted robots, called solbots, that can adjust the angles of photovoltaic arrays to maximize solar energy production. The solbots take the place of conventional motors on tracking systems, cutting the cost of solar energy production. Inmates at Dublin, Calif.’s Santa Rita jail will be among the first to enjoy the system when the jail installs the system this year.
In April 2012, iRobot delivered Warriors and PackBots to the Robinson Nuclear Plant in South Carolina. Duke Energy, owner of the plant, is using the robots for maintenance and inspections, to limit workers’ exposure to radiation.
Houston Houston is the epicenter of the United States’ oil and gas market, and it got a new robotics-focused player in 2012: Liquid Robotics Oil & Gas. The West Coast company partnered with the energy giant at a new Houston headquarters to proliferate the company’s Wave Gliders into offshore exploration and production work. 8
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Offshore Gulf of Mexico In 2010, Oceaneering International ROVs made headline news capping the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The company has a $10 million a year budget for ROV operations and maintenance training.
U
nmanned systems are playing an increasingly important role in the world of energy, as they can help produce it via automated mining and monitor it via pipeline and power line inspections. Here’s a sample of a few such developments taking place around the globe.
Quebec, Canada Hydro Quebec is using camera-equipped robots that crawl along electrical lines to inspect some of its power grid. The Hydro-Quebec Research Institute developed the LineScout Technology, which won the 2010 Edison Award from the Edison Electric Institute and a 2012 Innovation Award from the Institution of Engineering and Technology.
Ithaca, N.Y. Ithaca is home to GE’s line of robotic wind turbine inspection robots, made by International Climbing Machines. The robots cling to the surface of the turbines via vacuum suction and then climb up to perform their work. The robots are powered by a tether.
Bergen, Norway
Sandnes, Norway Norway’s Robotic Drilling Systems is working with NASA to develop and autonomous drill that aims to help the oil industry expand its potential into more extreme environments. Communications with the drill would be similar to how NASA talks to its Mars rovers, though operations would not be controlled by a human.
Offshore Bergen, Kongsberg Maritime performed the world’s longest multisensor AUV pipeline survey with its HUGIN 1000 vehicle, operated off a Royal Norwegian Navy vessel. At water depths between 180 and 560 meters, the HUGIN inspected 60 kilometers of pipeline in a little more than 16 hours.
Pilbara, Australia The location of mining company Rio Tinto’s operations. The company’s Mine of the Future concept involves using automated Komatsu trucks, trains and drilling rigs to excavate ore out of the ground. Gabriela Mistral Mine, Chile Komatsu introduced its Autonomous Haulage System, a way to remotely operate mining trucks, to Codelco’s copper mine in Chile in 2008. The system used GPS, obstacle detection sensors, a wireless network and a fleet management system.
London The London-based mining company Anglo American has signed a five-year agreement with Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Mellon University to develop robotic technologies for mining, including for developing hard-to-reach deposits of ore.
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A low-logistics UUV reduces operational costs, sometimes eliminating the vessel. Photo courtesy NCS Survey and BP Azerbaijani subsea performance unit.
etworked Systems Improve Ocean Operations By Justin E. Manley
T
he ocean environment has always challenged the strength of technology and the skills of sailors and seafarers. Today, most members of the ocean community face an additional challenge — ever more constrained budgets with increasing requirements. Research budgets are shrinking despite new concerns from climate change to ocean acidification. Civilian ocean agencies must guard against tsunamis and hurricanes, often with declining resources. Vessel operators face volatile fuel prices and a challenging labor market. Offshore industry must consider increased regulatory requirements, especially in new sectors such as ultradeepwater and Arctic regions. Even the defense community must consider their investments carefully as they fulfill traditional roles and engage new missions from antipiracy to harbor security. In these situations, ocean operators must do more with less. Fortunately, unmanned maritime vehicles offer increased return on investment compared to more traditional vessel based techniques.
Today’s UMVs: A Stand-Alone Solution Current UMVs significantly improve the economics of certain ocean operations. They are allowing ocean operators to stave off the impacts of declining budgets. The core UMV 10
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A low-logistics ROV improves the economics, and safety, of hull inspections. Photo courtesy Teledyne Benthos.
roles of survey, inspection and observation all reveal positive impacts on the cost and complexity of marine operations. Connectivity brings operations into labs and conference rooms to empower mission managers. The first survey task UMVs conquered was deepwater surveys, especially in the oil and gas market. Unmanned underwater vehicles allowed deep surveys to be executed by a single vessel, rather than two. This was a tremendous savings, but the market demand proved modest and a handful of large, potent UUVs appear to have satiated the market. While the large/deep UUVs bring added value, they still require dedicated vessels and sizeable staffs. In the late 1990s, small unmanned surface vehicles first demonstrated the ability to collect high-quality survey data without the demand for sizeable support vessels. Today, compact, low-logistics UUVs provide big-vessel bang at a small-vessel buck. Using affordable small platforms, often vessels of opportunity, survey operators can now conduct seafloor surveys at depths up to 1,000 meters and count upon data quality equal to the larger more expensive systems. Modular architectures allow diverse payloads and rapid battery changes. Now one UUV can meet multiple missions and maximize operating time, and thus are a return on investment.
Undersea inspection began with divers who were gradually replaced by ROVs. The ROV industry has a long history and has grown to significant size, with approximately 1,000 large work-class ROVs in service. More recently, small ROVs have matured rapidly and are significantly changing the economics of many missions. Available in many sizes, shapes and price ranges, these ROVs enable rapid and effective inspections of the seafloor and structures. New sensors support applications such as leak detection and pipeline imaging. Improved autopilots and subsea positioning reduce the burden on operators. The significant increase in the number of micro-ROVs, deployed by police departments, universities and other fiscally constrained operators, is a testament to the economics of this class of UMV. Among other missions, inspection of ship hulls for security, ship husbandry or law enforcement is enabled by the new generation of capable but low-logistics ROVs. Autonomous inspection vehicles are being demonstrated in initial sea trials and promise to further change the economics of undersea inspection. Ocean observing has traditionally relied on vessel-based measurements and moorings, which require significant logistic investments. But today, extended endurance UMVs and autonomous profiling floats offer broad area coverage, both spatial and temporal, at low costs. Using buoyancy, thermal or wave energy approaches, these new UMVs can remain at sea for months and years rather than hours and days. Traditionally, physical oceanography has been the focus of these platforms, due to available sensors and limited payload energy budgets. But today new biogeochemical sensors are being demonstrated on long-endurance platforms. While the low capital and operational costs of these tools is a clear benefit to the economics of ocean observation, there is another, subtle, effect to note. Academic or government programs often share data collected by these platforms freely and often online. With hundreds of gliders and thousands of floats deployed, there is a wide user base to advance new concepts and technologies. Together the sharing of data and wide user community make ocean observing UMVs highly leveraged investments. Connectivity is a key element of UMV operations. Operators deploy UMVs for a purpose; awareness of progress
toward that purpose is a key requirement. Timeliness of information is also important to survey, inspection and observation activities, even if complete data sets must await a physical return of the UMV. While wireless networks and satellite navigation have revolutionized life ashore, acoustic systems bring similar benefits to undersea operations. Empowered by advances in digital signal processing, venerable tones and pings have given way to broadband schemes. These systems offer reliable connections between many platforms and in some cases also provide positioning information. Wise application of acoustic systems increases productivity and reduces risk. The predominant mode for subsea connectivity is pointto-point. Networks have been demonstrated but are not widely deployed. Technologies are mostly closed, with operators dependent on single sources or forced to own potentially redundant equipment. Subsea connectivity is having an impact, but it still evolving.
Better Than a Bag Phone but Not a Smartphone It is clear that UMVs are indeed reshaping the economics of marine operations. But most operators are accruing only incremental benefits. All users are not benefitting from the full potential of the technologies available, which can be viewed through the lens of mobile phones. The current situation for UMVs is much like the personal electronics scene of the late 1990s. Think back to the days when a well-outfitted early adopter would have a standalone GPS receiver, mobile phone and personal digital assistant. The lucky few managed to connect that phone to the PDA and access a rudimentary A network of UMVs will enable new operational World Wide Web, in concepts. Photo courtesy grayscale and text. LikeTeledyne Benthos. wise today’s UMV users must acquire a specific kit for particular missions. Modular architectures and shrinking sensors are increasing utility for individual platforms. Today we are still awaiting the equivalent of the smartphone era in ocean operations.
The Future: Networked UMVs Carrying forward the comparison to mobile phones, what might UMV operators look forward to in the future? Today an average smartphone user can take their device anywhere in the world and access voice calls, MISSION CRITICAL
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Networked Systems — continued from Page 11
email, Web browsing, map-based navigation and a host of specialized apps for advanced tasks such as currency calculations or travel bookings. This capability is built upon enabling developments in hardware and accepted standards for connectivity. Seamless roaming across different networks is also key to the user experience. Such a reality is coming to the undersea realm. UMVs in coming years will draw upon advanced connectivity to “network” into ever more productive roles. UMV payload modules will be swappable between a traditional survey UUV and a long-endurance glider. Meanwhile, gliders will include propellers to overcome the occasional current or better navigate in operational areas such as under ice. Drifting and energy harvesting surface platforms will provide overhead coverage for telemetry and positioning to heterogeneous undersea systems. Open communications protocols will enable basic roaming for UMVs moving among networks. How might such a future change the picture for actual ocean applications? Consider the following hypothetical presentation of the four themes evaluated above.
Survey A UUV is deployed from a chartered fishing vessel that simply launches it over the side. The UUV locates and follows a pipeline equipped with undersea “cell towers” that guide the UUV and ensure operators ashore receive prompt notification of the UUV’s findings. Pipeline condition is analyzed and anomalies flagged for follow up without any dedicated vessel — significantly reducing cost.
Inspection A small, smart ROV is deployed from a similarly small commercial support vessel. Sophisticated autopilots link the ROV and vessel, and the pair slowly follows the pipeline to inspect anomalies found by the UMV. A trained watch stander “points and clicks” the operation to completion, freeing highly skilled ROV pilots for intervention tasks, optimizing capital and operating investments. On large, fixed installations an AIV deploys from a dedicated launch recovery and docking basket and provides wireless inspections of wellhead equipment.
A long-endurance UUV enables ocean observation. Photo courtesy Ben Allsup, Teledyne Webb Research.
dive to surface and alert operators ashore. The operators task a patrolling glider and nearby surface vessel, both energy harvesting and thus on station for months or years. The UMV pair home in on the oil site and adaptively sample the plume, sharing the data with both commercial and government observers. The regulators determine the event is a natural seep and response vessels are not required, saving both organizations valuable funds and time.
Connectivity Integrated networks of various wireless technologies will provide low bandwidth but reliable coverage, much like first-generation cellular networks. Full data sets may reside on local UMV solid-state drives, but status information and key data identified through onboard analytics will be exchanged across the network, ensuring operators are informed and support assets are deployed for maximum efficiency. Consider the pipeline survey UUV, now docked with a gateway node along the pipeline. To request recovery, the UUV can send an SMS to request to predetermined regional assets, such as fishing vessels. The nearest available vessel can confirm the request on the network and move to recover the UUV. The recovery fee would more than compensate for the short deviation from fishing activity. Such an integrated subsea network minimizes downtime, even without the speed taken for granted in wired networks
Apps for Ocean Ops
Observing
Seafarers tend to be conservative and may find the vision presented above preposterous. But those same seafarers today may video chat with their family from a vessel half a world away. In the not too distant future, after hanging up the video call on their smartphone, they could switch to a UMV app and guide a sophisticated sensor platform to its next mission — no cables, dive gear or joysticks required. The ocean is vast and will not be tamed easily, but with tomorrow’s technology today’s tasks will be more like picking a restaurant in a handheld app than reeling in a net to a fishing dory.
In open water, a drifting profiling float with advanced instruments detects a potential oil leak and adapts its
Justin E. Manley is senior director of business development for Teledyne Benthos.
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Q&A:
Schiebel
Q&A
Editor’s Note: Schiebel’s Camcopter S-100 unmanned aircraft conducted power line inspections in Austria in 2011, showcasing one of the dull, dirty, dangerous, but also critical, jobs that are perfect for UAS.
Q: How did your demonstration of power line inspection come about? For whom was it performed? A. Schiebel carried out those tests in order to evaluate the advantages of UAV Systems over conventional manned helicopters for Austrian-based company Energie Verbund Österreich. Q: What was the range of inspections carried out? A. At an average airspeed of 30 knots [55 kph] besides the power lines. Also the poles, surge arresters and isolators were inspected. High-definition images were transmitted to the control station in real time. The imagery identified the areas of damage or corrosion as well as spots of bad conductivity on the power lines, thus enabling teams of technicians to focus only on the affected cables and towers.
Schiebel’s Camcopter S-100 conducts a power line inspection. Photo courtesy of Schiebel.
diverse challenges and dangers in the delivery of immediate information for total protection. The vertical takeoff and landing UAS is an ideal solution which provides powerful surveillance delivering constant real time information 24/7. It needs no prepared area, supporting launch or recovery equipment. It operates day and night, under adverse weather conditions, with a beyond lineof-sight capability out to 200 kilometers, both on land and at sea. The Camcopter S-100 is uniquely capable of penetrating areas which may be too dangerous for piloted aircraft or a ground patrol and can be operated by only two people. The costs of a flight hour are considerably less than those of manned helicopters.
Q: How much ground was covered by the inspections, and how long did it take?
Q: What were the main lessons you learned from your reconnaissance of the power lines?
A. Power poles and power lines within an area of two hectare were scanned for damage during the field test. The demonstration was held over several days while flight time amounted to four hours for the entire track.
A. It reassured us that we do provide the most effective system when it comes to recurrent inspections of power lines due to precise positioning and preprogrammed, recallable tracks.
Q: Was the information studied in real time, collected for later evaluation or both?
Q: Do you plan to carry out more such demonstrations?
A. Both features have been demonstrated. Real-time data was used in order to perform quick evaluations regarding the condition of the power poles and power lines during flight, while at the same time the data was archived for later use.
A. Schiebel would be more than happy to display the outstanding capabilities of Camcopter S-100 to more customers on request.
Q: What was the result of the demonstration? A. It demonstrated the huge advantages of the Camcopter S-100 for these inspection tasks, which are usually carried out by manned helicopters. Today the need for maximum security, in both military and civilian domains, demands a system which combats the many
Q: Do you see such inspections as being a viable market for unmanned aircraft once airspace regulations permit? A. We consider this kind of tasks to be a typical application of drones for civil purposes in the near future. The fact that UAVs do not rely on a pilot and that once programmed a track can be repeated over and over again without further overhead makes them extremely safe and cost efficient. MISSION CRITICAL
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SPOTLIGHT
Ramora Removes World War Relics The mine Ramora removed near a North Sea gas pipeline. Photo courtesy Ramora UK.
By Yvonne Headington
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World War II mine, discovered near a North Sea gas pipeline nearly 20 years ago, has finally been removed and safely detonated with some assistance from unmanned systems technology. The operation was made possible after Royal Dutch Shell joined forces with bomb disposal contractor Ramora UK. The two companies undertook the development of specialist technologies to deal with the British-made mine. “We have developed a suit of equipments which can be deployed by a subsea remotely operated vehicle,” explains David Welch, Ramora’s managing director. “The entire operation was designed to eliminate interaction with personnel, such as divers, thereby greatly improving levels of safety.” The disposal operation began on 4 Aug. and involved an automated lifting bag system, which raised the ordnance out of the sea. The mine,
containing up to 500 pounds of explosives, was then towed to a safe area for disposal and was successfully detonated the following day. Given Ramora’s expertise in maritime explosive ordnance disposal, the operation required no rehearsals, according to the company. However, there was “significant risk assessment and review of all procedures, along with an emergency response exercise prior to the operation,” says Welch. Five Ramora EOD experts and six remotely operated vehicles were involved in the disposal operation, while an additional 20 personnel were on hand for shutdown and emergency response contingencies ashore. It was during a routine annual ROV inspection in 1993 that the mine was discovered, at a depth of around 100 meters, adjacent to Shell’s Far North Liquids and Associated Gas System pipeline. The 280-mile-long FLAGS pipeline is located some 60 miles off the northeast coast of Scotland and carries gas and natural gas liquids from fields in the North Sea, including from Brent field platforms. Gas carried by FLAGS accounts for around 5 percent of U.K gas imports. The mine had remained undetected when the FLAGS pipeline was commissioned in 1982. Once discovered, the Royal Navy inspected the mine and advised leaving the device in place. Thereafter the mine was regularly monitored until, according to Shell, technical advances provided the possibility of removing it. “We did a lot of preparation, including detailed risk assessment, to ensure this operation was as safe as possible” says Glen Cayley, Shell’s technical vice president. “It was a technical challenge, but we and our contractors have a lot of experience working in these conditions offshore in the North Sea.” Ramora’s military-based expertise in ordnance disposal covers both land and maritime environments. The company provides consultancy, training and equipment solutions, as well as a 24-hour emergency response service. The equipment used to lift and dispose of the FLAGS mine was based on elements of Ramora’s Remote Explosive Ordnance Disposal System, which, according to the company, is the first purpose-built remote EOD system to be made available for the commercial market. The company describes the system as highly maneuverable “even in strong currents.” The danger posed by unexploded ordnance around the British Isles is a persistent problem for shipping and the energy industry. According to a 2011 report, produced by the consultancy group PMSS and specialist risk consultancy 6 Alpha Associates, significant amounts
of military ordnance remain within the U.K. offshore maritime environment, including sea mines, torpedoes, depth charges, air-delivered bombs, munitions dumps and munitions-laden wrecks from both ships and aircraft. For instance, some 128,000 mines were laid around the U.K. coast during World War I and a further 100,000 during World War II. Even accounting for some postwar recovery, it is estimated that about 190,000 mines still remain offshore. Fusing mechanisms are likely to deteriorate over time, but the high-explosive contents can continue to pose a risk. The existence of unexploded ordnance poses a particular hazard for the prospective expansion of offshore wind energy production, which is where the use of unmanned underwater systems come into their own, limiting risks and costs for industry. The U.K. is a world leader in offshore wind power generation, with a total of 1,233 turbines in operation or under construction. It is estimated that offshore wind power supplies to net U.K. electricity production will increase from 1.5 percent today to around 17 percent by 2020. Ramora’s REODS, which has a lifting capacity of 1,000 kilograms and is capable of working at depths in excess of 175 meters, can be integrated with all existing workclass ROVs. In August 2011, Ramora deployed elements of the REODS suite of equipment to safely dispose of a World War II ship-laid German mine, located some 20 miles off the East English coast. The mine was lying in 35 meters of water at the site of the Greater Gobbard wind farm. On this occasion a four-man Ramora team used an ROV to place a countermining charge next to the 680-kilogram mine, which had been assessed as “high risk.” The following November, the company assisted Chevron North Sea Ltd. to deal with another vintage war mine found at a depth of 1,118 meters. REODS was again used for the disposal procedure, and the mine was safely detonated with a ROV-placed explosive charge. Ramora continues to develop REODS, and in June 2011 the company announced a major upgrade of the equipment, which reduces the number of personnel necessary to conduct a disposal operation and leads to a faster deployment. The ROV dive time has been reduced to less than two hours per contact. Above all, safety is a critical factor. As the company’s literature states, “REODS reduces both the human and commercial risk to the client.” Yvonne Headington is a freelance writer on defense and security issues and edits the weekly newsletter Defence News Analysis — A View from London at www.dranda.btinternet.co.uk.
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Diving Deeper
TIMELINE
1962 – Shell Oil Co. successfully uses 1953 – Dimitri Rebikoff is credited with making the first tethered ROV, called Poodle, which grew out of an 1864 concept by Luppis-Whitehead Automobile in Australia, the non-tethered Programmed Underwater Vehicle.
Late 1950s – Howard Hughes’ Hughes Aircraft Co. developed the Manipulator Operated Robot, or MOBOT, for the Atomic Energy Commission. While the robot was not underwater, it was the predecessor of a Shell Oil Co. ROV.
Howard Hughes’ MOBOT on a wildcat well off the cost of Santa Barbara, Calif., in 250 feet of water.
Early 1960s – The Space and Naval
Warfare Systems Center San Diego developed CURV, which stands for Cablecontrolled Undersea Recovery Vehicle, to recover lost ordnance off of San Clemente Island at 2,000 feet deep.
1966 – CURV gains notoriety by recover-
ing a lost atomic bomb off the coast of Spain in 2,800 feet of water after a plane carrying the ordnance crashed. The success led to more generations of the CURV platform.
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O
il and gas has one constant challenge — the push to make deeper diving technology so it can access more of the resources below the seafloor. Here’s a look at how remotely operated vehicles have explored lower and lower depths in the name of science and energy.
2006 – In March 2005, Kaiko, an ROV 1982 – Hydro Products Ltd. creates the RCV
225, one of the first ROVs designed specifically for offshore work. The remotely controlled vehicle was acquired by Comex Houlder Diving, now known as Subsea 7. The vehicle could dive to 1,300 feet deep.
1986 – CURV-III is upgraded to dive to 10,000 feet to accommodate wreckage recovery needs.
from the Japan Marine Science and Technology Center, started a series of dives into the Challenger Deep, the deepest part of the Mariana Trench. It reached its lowest depth in 1998 at 10,907 feet.
2009 – Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s Nereus ROV also voyaged into the Challenger Deep, coming within 5 feet of JAMSTEC’s record.
2010 – San Diego’s SeaBotix releases SARbot,
an ROV expressly designed to help rescue drowning victims and developed after a request from United Kingdom fire and rescue services.
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ROVs Looking Up, AUVs and Oil Prices Remain Questionable
T
he appeal of remote vehicles that can inspect and perform heavy-duty maintenance in oil and gas work is still buoyant, according to a series of recent market surveys. In 2011, energy industry forecasters Douglas-Westwood projected market drivers would see remotely operated vehicle operations grow from $891 million in 2010 to $1.692 billion by 2015. While other markets use ROVs, like the military and salvage operators, the study cited oil and gas as the largest market potential for the vehicles. “In the primary offshore oil and gas activity sector, a long period of high oil prices and surging deepwater activity has driven orders for offshore drilling rigs to numbers not seen for decades,” says report author John Westwood. “These rigs, together with large numbers off subsea construction vessels, are driving a new surge in ROV orders.” The bullish growth in this market will continue despite economic issues plaguing many other sectors, says the report. Westwood also projected there may be new energy markets also keen on tapping into ROVs rugged abilities. “In addition, new, albeit much smaller, markets are developing in sectors such as the offshore wind. The next five years look good for ROV operators,” Westwood continues. E&P magazine, an oil and gas, exploration, and production publication, concurred with the Douglas-Westwood study in an August 2011 article. The article, “Investment Resurgence Buoys ROV Market,” says ROV’s large range of life-of-field activities keep them relevant, from drilling to installation, inspection to repair, and maintenance to decommissioning. Decommissioning work has come to the forefront in the controversial idle iron policy implemented by the U.S. Department of the Interior after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The policy requires that the 650 abandoned oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico be decommissioned to prevent possible future oil. This was a policy prior to the Macando blowout; however, now oil companies must lay out plans of how their rigs will eventually be reused or when they will be shut off. The Gulf of Mexico Fisheries Management Council approximated in a September 2012 article in the Business World Weekender that
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MARKET REPORT
three rigs are being decommissioned a day in light of this policy. The use of ROVs for this work is still a controversial topic to the many divers that used to be employed for the same mission. In a 2011 article in offshore publication OE, Oceaneering International addressed the issue. “When I started, it was taboo to even get near an ROV,” Michael Johnson, a former diver who now works at Oceaneering Internationals diving division, said. “But since then, a lot of eyes have been opened. There are a lot of jobs out there in the Gulf of Mexico, especially after the hurricanes, that you couldn’t do without an ROV.” Oceaneering purchased two vessels for carrying workclass ROVs that they could use for the idle iron project. It “has increased our safety exponentially, and you can tie that directly to productivity,” he continued, speaking to the magazine. “It’s made it a lot more cost-effective for the client. It makes so much sense to use an ROV — to have a subsea hydraulic unit right there, to use it to go in and chop stuff up and get it out of the way, and to do survey runs.” Oceaneering, the largest operator of ROVs, provided around 100 vessels as of 2010. Now their website says it has more than 250 work-class ROVs and more than 2,000 ROV offshore personnel through the world, with a $10 million operations and maintenance training budget per year. Another big player in the ROV market, Fugro’s semiannual company report released at the end of 2012 shows similarly high numbers, with 150 company-owned ROVs and eight AUVs.
An Oceaneering ROV shown out of water. Photo courtesy Oceaneering.
Check our website for the latest schedule: http://www.auvsi.org/webinar MISSION CRITICAL
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Market Report — continued from Page 18
AUV Outlook
Future of Oil
Business report provider Vision Gain’s “ROVs and AUVs in the Energy Market 2012-2022” report estimates the ROV and AUV energy sector market was worth $1.52 billion in 2010. Though investors should be cautiously optimistic about ROVs, the AUV sector is lagging, according to the report website. “Though the industry will be faced with the restraints of slow economic growth and credit tightness, lack of confidence in AUV technology and labor shortages, the ROV and AUV market is likely to provide substantial opportunities for potential investors.” That outlook was mirrored by the industry in 2012, which saw iRobot dissolve its maritime division in late October. The 24-person sector had 80 iRobot Seaglider AUVs deployed since its purchase of the product from the University of Washington in 2008. By contrast, autonomous surface vehicle company Liquid Robotics doubled down on its faith in the autonomous oil and gas surveying business, by creating the subsidiary Liquid Robotics Oil & Gas. A collaboration with oil and gas giant Schlumberger, Liquid Robotics’ Grant Palmer told AUVSI in October that it planned
Fontaine Maru, one of Liquid Robotics’ four PacX Wave Gliders, seen here off the coast of Hawaii. Photo courtesy Liquid Robotics.
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to manufacture 1,000 Wave Gliders for oil and gas missions within a year.
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The E&P magazine report also ties oil demand to ROV demand. From 2006 through 2010, ROV demand mirrored oil prices. However, in 2011, ROV demand remained higher than the price of oil, in a year the commodity was fairly stable around $100 per barrel after two years far below that mark. The E&P report concluded that ROV demand will be the equivalent of 1.25 million vehicles a day between 2011 and 2015. The magazine cited rising concern for repairs, maintenance and inspection and the industry’s move into deeper and more dangerous waters as main drivers. However, there is general market uncertainty about what 2013 will hold for the price of oil. In 2012, oil varied between $88 and $125 per barrel, and that kind of fluctuation could continue. The U.S. Energy Information Administration and travel club AAA are both forecasting that the price of oil is likely to fall in 2013 thanks to high oil industry output and more fuel-efficient vehicles on the roadways. However, Goldman Sachs forecasted $100 oil for 2013, and the firm’s chief commodities strategist Jeff Currie said in a global strategy conference that he wouldn’t be surprised “if we woke up in summer and oil cost $150,” according to a Fox Business report.
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UNMANNED SYSTEMS Editorial Calendar* Editorial Content
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January
Starting Up: How to break into niche vertical markets in unmanned systems Watching Wildlife: Using unmanned systems to monitor hard-to-reach environments Communications Standards: Working to meet future communications needs Ones to Watch: Up and coming unmanned systems and robotics students
3 Dec.
February
Robotic Agriculture: Harvesting new fields for robots Picture This: Modeling and simulation in the unmanned systems world No Hands: Self-driving car update Mission Critical: Energy: Monitoring, exploring and securing the world’s power sources ** AUVSI’s Unmanned Systems Program Review 2013 Official Show Issue
1 Jan.
March
Out of This World: Space robotics update Defense Spending: A look at the federal dollars behind unmanned systems U Turn: Unmanned systems companies exploring new business directions Where We’ve Been: A look back at prominent or influential systems of the past
1 Feb.
April
Where Business Happens: A recap of AUVSI’s Unmanned Systems Program Review 2013 Real Time With Unmanned Systems: Gathering and using unmanned systems data Oil and Gas: Monitoring and protecting oil and gas resources Ones to Watch: Up and coming unmanned systems and robotics students
1 March
May
Top Gun: Carrier-launched systems update Permission to Fly: A look at the FAA’s unmanned systems integration roadmap Network Update: Using robots to build ad-hoc mesh networks Mission Critical: Self-Driving Cars: The latest in driver-assisting technologies
1 April
June
Cutting Edge: Medical robotics update Cross Domain: A look at unmanned systems that span multiple domains Where Will You Be? AUVSI’s Unmanned Systems 2013 Show preview ** AUVSI’s Unmanned Systems 2013 Preview Issue
1 May
July
Ditching GPS: A look at other navigational systems Factory Robots: Expanding the flexibility of industrial robots Under Ice: The cool work unmanned systems are doing in the Arctic Where We’ve Been: A look back at prominent or influential systems of the past
3 June
August
Export Regulation: A review of international sales guidelines for unmanned systems New Recruits: Next-generation ground combat robots Indiana Drones? Robots in archaeology No Hands: Self-driving car update Ones to Watch: Up and coming unmanned systems and robotics students Mission Critical: Agriculture: The latest technology takes to the field ** AUVSI’s Unmanned Systems 2013 Official Show Issue
1 July
September
Manned-Unmanned Teaming: Robots and manned systems working together Environmental Monitoring: Using unmanned platforms to monitor the Earth Robotic Kickstarters: Crowdfunded robotics efforts — where are they now?
1 Aug.
October
Being Civil: An update on public safety use of unmanned systems Powering Up: Alternative energy for unmanned systems Unmanned Systems 2013 Show Report: A look back at the world’s largest unmanned systems and robotics showcase. Ones to Watch: Up and coming unmanned systems and robotics students
2 Sept.
November
Pushing the Flight Envelope: Flying longer, faster, stronger with unmanned aircraft Market Report: The economic impact of unmanned systems No Hands: Self-driving car update Mission Critical: Perception and Cognition: Improving robotic autonomy
1 Oct.
December
Top Innovations: A report from the bleeding edge Robotic Prosthetics: How unmanned systems science is leading to a new generation of robotic limbs Saving Cash: Robots that don’t break the bank Ones to Watch: Up and coming unmanned systems and robotics students Where We’ve Been: A look back at prominent or influential systems of the past
1 Nov.
*Green=Recurring features *Maroon=Special section, containing multiple articles. Note: Editorial calendar is subject to change without notice. Please email fick@auvsi.org for a current distribution list.
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