BISONTE
DEEP DIVE INTO REVOLUTIONARY SUBSEA ROV TECH powered by Inside Marine
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BISONTE
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PROFILE
DEEP
Dive
into revolutionary subsea ROV tech As drone technology continues to develop at a startling pace, a team of scientists, engineers and inventors from Poland have commercially developed the ground-breaking Bisonte NIX 300 – the lightest ROV for the hardest underwater jobs. It suddenly enables seaport infrastructure operators to conduct an enhanced inspection without the need to risk divers’ lives. Profile by Andy Probert. 152
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the marine industry, de-risking usually reads as minimising as much as possible. But eliminating risk to human life? Now that’s a whole new ball game altogether. But Polish entity Bisonte has developed a complete solution to put robotics where divers have always swum and, in some cases, where they are unable to reach. A crack team of engineers, inventors, and scientists have seamlessly combined cutting-edge technologies and hands-on experience to deliver the Bisonte NIX 300, an underwater drone that could potentially revolutionise the subsea and offshore industries. “Bisonte was founded to provide the world with revolutionary robotic solutions and enable mankind to reach higher, farther and deeper without risking human life,” commented Lukasz Sadowski, Bisonte’s Chief Technical Officer. “The NIX 300 delivers that.” Eight years in the making, the NIX 300 is a complete game-changer. Labelled the smallest drone with the biggest capabilities, it is an ROV that goes beyond ROV capabilities. Significantly, a pilot project was undertaken in December 2019 at Gdansk Port, one of the Baltic Sea’s largest seaports, and helped define the best-suited ROV solution for ports. With its unique variable hull geometry, the ROV can stabilise itself and reach even
the most difficult areas with unique precision. The drone does not require complicated and expensive infrastructure and can be deployed in water with reduced equipment. With its 102-megapixel camera, customisable sensors and additional optional tools, the drone provides high-definition video and images of inspected installations and infrastructure. Additionally, the drone does not require any external power sources as its internal battery can run for up to eight hours. Mr Sadowski emphasised the NIX 300 has been designed to create the most cost-effective solution beyond inspection.
“The ROV enables seaport infrastructure operators to conduct an enhanced inspection without engaging divers in dangerous activities,” Mr Sadowski outlined. “It also helps drive efficiency in tasks such as repairs and inspections, and increases employee safety.
Genesis of an Idea The genesis of the idea was first broached among students in 2013 at the AGH University of Science and Technology in Krakow. AGH UST is a public university in Krakow, Poland, that focuses on creating innovative technologies.
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BISONTE
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PROFILE
Sebastian Oledzki CEO and the inventor of the variable geometry hull, Łukasz Sadowski CTO
Mr Sadowski, who was among those students, said: “We were presented with a problem of an inspection and maintenance of water dams. At that time, there were no solutions that could replace divers, and we were also free of any technology constraints and bias. “So we approached the problem in an unorthodox way. And that’s when the idea of a variable buoyancy ROV was borne. We realised we had a breakthrough solution on our hands, and a decision was made to commercialise it.” The first pre-prototype was successfully tested in a laboratory environment, achieving a staggering payload-to-ownweight ratio over 1.2:1. 2017 proved a breakthrough year for Bisonte as its technology was recognised at The International Exhibition of Inventions in Geneva, the world’s most important annual event devoted to inventions presented by universities and private companies. That same year, the technology received a gold medal during IWIS – the largest in Poland and one of the biggest in Europe international events related to innovation and inventiveness. 156
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Bisonte gained its first variable-geometry-based patent from the US patent office and received a grant of $1 million from Poland’s National Centre for Research and Development to develop the most versatile solution in the ROV market worldwide.
Scalable ROV In 2019, Bisonte emerged with the NIX 300 underwater drone prototype, which was successfully tested in a natural environment and confirmed the technology’s superiority over every other ROV on the market. Following the Gdansk Port success, Bisonte was backed with a Є 250,000 investment from LT Capital to help accelerate R&D and provide additional business support. “The drone is the first underwater vehicle to achieve a 1:1 payload-to-own-weight ratio without vertical thrusters,” attested Mr Sadowski. “In comparison to other ROVs, ours has a variable geometry giving positive buoyancy to maintain its depth. The huge payload to work ratio is a major differentiator, as well as its precision. “It allows us to mount ROV workload on the system and it can lift around 100kg of equipment – which doesn’t exist on the
Lukasz Sadowski, Bisonte’s Chief Technical Officer
market today. We have created a new class of ROV that can operate up to 300m in depth and can now start to replace divers that operate in dangerous environments.” He said the ROV is highly adaptable to operate different equipment: “we have a platform that provides more visibility
for the operator with top of the line sensors and thrusters powerful to fight high currents. It is small enough, ready to be deployed for different activities, such as inspection of hulls, and we can offer a flexible solution to meet any clients’ needs. We can offer an ROV platform to a wide customer base.”
Mr Sadowski said the NIX 300 would be the beginning of the NIX family, due to the technology’s scalability. “We developed the NIX 300 because 300 metres of freighting is the biggest market in terms of quantity of customers and problems we can solve. But we can go deeper and make the ROV bigger, so it opens up many exciting opportunities. “If we get an order, we can make our system operationally ready within two months. We base our business on trusting our technology, because we are providing solutions, not half-measures.” Bisonte is now finalising the commercialisation of the NIX 300 and contacting potential clients. Mr Sadowski concluded: “Replacing humans with robotics and having a system with speed, we hope Bisonte will become an important player in the market for the long run, with the NIX ready to shape the industry. “We are driven by the need for change and to grow in an eco-friendly, responsible and sustainable manner. We believe we have breakthrough technology, and industry agrees we have something big to offer. We are developing technology of the future right now.” n Inside Marine
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