verify if turbulent airflow could occur near the moon pool and so impact data quality in higher sea state conditions. “The results were positive, and we only needed tomakeminor updates to the control model and path planning parameters to allow the real-time autopilot to cope with the displacement by certain waves. The V2500s are now being deployed in coastal projects globally. “We’re also now building a 7 m vessel for offshore operations in conditions up to sea state 6. The first of those should be in the water at the end of summer this year.” The 7 m USV from Demcon will be hybrid-electric, with the battery charged selectively so that the USV can venture into quiet areas. However, the onboard generators will be hydro-treated vegetable oil systems, so emissions will be negligible. These are expected to enable a mission runtime of somewhere around 2 weeks between refuelling depending on conditions. Summary It is worth noting that USVs seem to be coming in at larger and larger form factors. The smallest here has a 55 kg gross weight, a far cry from the 25 kg MTOW common among UAVs. That makes perfect sense. USVs are not regulated to smaller sizes, as UAVs currently are, and they do not fight gravity to anywhere near the extent that UAVs do. Furthermore a larger, heavier USV means more space for sensors, enabling USVs such as the Saildrone Surveyor and the Mayflower (UST42, February/March 2022) to carry out survey missions for dozens of organisations at once. USVs will doubtless come in larger shapes in the future, as collision avoidance technology advances the safety case for such vehicles. So in addition tomore autonomous ships for maritime freight, such as the Yara Birkeland autonomous container vessel emerging, it is likely that survey vessels of similar size to the Mayflower and the Saildrone Surveyor – or larger still –will become increasingly common sights on the high seas. AIRMAR.COM ...onemillion nautical hours Proven Performance Rugged reliability and optimal performance define the 200WX-IPX7. Over 1 million hours of flawless nautical operation on buoys, USVs and ASVs prove its integrity. Inquire how AIRMAR can meet your integration requirements. • Compact, ultrasonic multisensor • Dynamic wind speed and direction • Air temperature and wind chill • Barometric pressure • GPS position, SOG, COG • Three-axis solid state compass with dynamic stabilization • Three-axis rate gyro for rate of turn • Best-in-class pitch and roll accuracy • IPX7 waterproof rating 200WX-IPX7 Contact weather@airmar.com Photo Courtesy of Liquid Robotics
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