ZOOX - December 2020, the autonomous vehicle company that was acquired this year by Amazon, revealed this week the product of six years of work: A purpose-built self-driving vehicle designed to carry people in dense urban environments. Zoox also plans to own, manage and operate its robotaxi fleet.

SEAVOLUTION - Looking like a giant mechanical manta ray, the SeaVax was set to become one of the largest ocean going robots. The small ship is designed to scoop up plastic waste, treat and report ocean data back to a command center to improve fleet operational efficiency. The vessel is solar and wind powered for truly autonomous blue water endurance missions. The above picture is of a 1:20 scale proof of concept model. Development and build of a full size pre-production prototype as per the diagram below is the next step to advance the concept.

H2020 SRC - Proposal for a smaller (17m) plastic sampling and scooping machine for scientific research and serious plastic harvesting operations. This is a more general purpose version of SeaVax, but still featuring solar and wind power for autonomous endurance operations.

SHOW TIME - This innovative autonomous boat will be on display at the Old Billingsgate exhibition centre in London on the 9-10th of November 2015. The stand was especially made for this show. As you can see it is possible to tilt the robot vessel so that it is almost vertical. The stand is motorised to revolve at about half a revolution a minute. Although not ready for this year's outing, it is planned to make the stand interactive with audiences and to fit driven wheels such that the robotic boat combined with the mobile stand can give interesting displays, demonstrating the versatility of robotics. The boat is designed to vacuum plastic waste from the polluted oceans of the world. Not at this scale. This proof of concept model is only 2.2 metres long. The full size vessel is 44 metres long with a suction head some 13.5 metres wide - making it the world's largest vacuum cleaner. 

ROBOTS & AUTONOMOUS EVENTS 2017

INNOROBO - Paris, France - International exhibition of robotics - May 16-18 2017

VEX IQ - Worlds challenge STEM robotics international competitions - April 22 2017, Kentucky, Louisville, USA

ROBOTS & AUTONOMOUS EVENTS 2016

UK RAS - Network of Robotics and Autonomous engineers and organisations in the United Kingdom

SHOW TIME - These are the CQ6 coding queens, six girls that are entering the Worlds competition in Kentucky, Louisville in April 2017.

ROBOT INDEX

ACORE - American Council on Renewable Energy

ASV Global - C-Worker and C-Enduro unmanned surface vessel for safer offshore surveys

AUTONAUT - MOST (Autonomous Vessels) Limited - wave propelled system

AUVSI - ROBOBOATS - Association for Unmanned  Vehicle Systems International

ARDUINO - Hobbyists computer platform for interactive robots and machine prototyping - Open source

ARM Holdings Plc - 

BAE Systems - Maritime, Naval ships and submarines

BEAGLEBONE - ARM low cost robot friendly, low drain micro computer

BLUEBIRD - Electronics - 

BLUEFIN Robotics - 

BLUEFISH ZCC - Bluebird Marine Systems' autonomous unmanned fleet development program

BLUE OCEAN - Rolls Royce autonomous cargo vessels project

Captain Kidd's robot sailboat project - Microtransat

CDE - Centre for Defence Enterprise

CMTI - Centre for Maritime Technology and Innovation - Autonomous Study - Holland Shipbuilding Association

DARPA - Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency - Autonomous ROV/UUV ASV ZZCs

DOLPHIN - Quicksilver Controls, special effects robot for filming 'Dolphin Tale' movie about Winter the dolphin amputee

DSTL - Defence Science & Technology Laboratory

Embry Riddle - Aeronautics University, Roboboats competition Virginia Beach 2014 - Velodyne 3D Lidar

ESPANDON - Swordfish, SLAMF, future mine countermeasures program

EX MACHINA - Artificial intelligence in a female form humanoid is seen to be dangerous

FishPi - An autonomous boat project to prove Raspberry computer capability for navigation of a vessel for long distances.

FUGRO - 

General Dynamics - Anti submarine warfare USVs

HECTOR - Bielefeld University, robot hexapod insect

Helicopter Drones - Miniature flying machines using open source code

HORIZON 2020 - Patent (PCTIB2010055929) Italian ecological propulsion system POD ref: TOIT20130916002 

HUMANS - Animatronics

INDAGATUS - Small endurance UMV platform

INDIEGOGO - Open Hand Project, 3D printed robotic low cost prosthetics

KABUTOM RX3 - Giant robot beetle from Japan, built by Hitoshi Takahashi

Kickstarter - Robotboat MK VI autonomous oceanographic wing sailor project

Kickstarter - Scout Transatlantic - Microtransat autonomous solar powered trans Atlantic crossing robot project 2013

Kickstarter - Stompy, a US project to build a giant ride on hexapod vehicle

LEGO - Mindstorms education robotic invention system, brick computer - Robot Ant

LEMUSV - Long Endurance Marine Unmanned Surface Vessel

LIQUID ROBOTICS - Wave Glider autonomous surface vessels

LOCKHEED MARTIN - Trident missile system

Manta and Sting rays - animatronics

MARINE MEASUREMENT FORUM - Hosted by ASV Global, Portchester, UK, 29 January 2015

Maritime Robotics - Mariner USV

Mark Zuckerberg - Artificially intelligent robot butler

MAST - Maritime Sense & Avoidance Systems for unmanned vessels

MASTT - Royal Navy purchases Seebyte smart software for their autonomous underwater trials Sept 2013

MARS - Marine autonomous systems showcase and workshops, 25-26 February 2015, NOC, Southampton, UK

MBED - ARM based microcontroller developer platform

MEGABOTS - USA vs Japan, Kuratas - giant mechanized fighting machines

Microtransat - Competition for autonomous sailing models

MIT Cambridge University - Controlling Drone with Mobile Phone

MONALISA - Motorways of the Sea, eco-efficient e-navigation solutions contribution to safe maritime transport

MOST - Autonomous Vessel Limited - Autonaut USV

MUNIN - Maritime Unmanned Navigation through Intelligence in Networks & E-Nav International 7th Framework

NAMOS - Networked Aqautic Microbial Observation System using marine robots

NAVSEA - Naval Surface Warfare Center - Shipboard energy conservation

NERC - UK National Environment Research Council

NOC - UK National Oceanographic Centre

NORTHROP GRUMMAN - Unmanned fighter planes

PICAXE - Microcontroller for robotics projects with open source software support

PREDATOR - Robotic submarine hunter-killer

OCIOUS - Bluebottle marine drones and Solar Sailor

OpenROV - Open source underwater robots for exploration and education.

OPTICAL RECOGNITION - Latest developments for machine object avoidance

PACIFIC RIM - Giant robots built to tackle undersea mutant threat (fiction)

PROTEI - Oil clean up robotic sail boat with boom tail

Queen's University Belfast - Engineering & Physical Research Council COLREGs & unmanned maritime systems

RASPBERRY PI - Low cost educational computer to learn how to program robots, etc. Open source

RAYTHEON - Sonar anti-submarine detection equipment

REVOLT - DNV GL battery powered unmanned cargo vessel - Sept 2014

Roboboats - Autonomous Surface Boats competition, ASVs

Robosubs - Autonomous Underwater Vessel competition AUVs

ROLLS ROYCE - Unmanned semi-autonomous robotic ships of the future - Blue Ocean unmanned cargo vessels

SARUMS - Safety and Regulations for European Unmanned Maritime Systems

SBRI - Small Business Research Initiative

SEACHARGER - Autonomous Pacific Ocean robot boat

Sea Robotics - Unmanned systems

Sharks - Animatronics - World's largest robotic interactive public display

Slocum sea glider - Doug Webb & Henry Stommel

Snoopy Sloop - Robin Lovelock's robot sailing boat: Microtransat Trans-Atlantic competition

SOLAR CHARGER - Autonomous Atlantic Ocean robot boat

SPACE ROVERS - Rough terrain exploration robots

SPOT - Satellite global tracking system

TSB - Technology Strategy Board

Tuna - Dolphin friendly animatronics

UAS - Unmanned aerial systems conference, Twickenham, 9-10 September 2014

UAV - Unmanned aerial (commercial) show, Olympia Central, London, 22 October 2014

UDT - Undersea defence technology, Ahoy, Rotterdam, 3-5 June 2015

UK MAS - UK Maritime Autonomous Systems

UNDERWATER - Search & salvage - Federal Business Opportunities

AVIATION EVENTS 2015

UAS Conference - Unmanned (Unpiloted Air) Aerial Systems 7-8 July 2015, Twickenham, London, UK

LAND BASED ROBOTS

ANTS - Australian Bulldog ant inspires a giant insect robot

Ants - Giant animatronic for movie special effects - Body - Mechanics - Colony

AUTONOMOUS SOLUTIONS INC - Mobius™ vehicle command and control system and Guideline™ robotic convoys

14 in 1 SOLAR ROBOT KIT - A solar powered robot kit for ages 10+

BIPEDS

BIROB CHEETAH EPFL - Claimed to be the fastest quadruped robot cat @ June 2013

CYBEE

DARPA - Autonomous land vehicle - Red Bull

GIGANTOR & GUNDAM - Giant robot statues, Kobe and Tokyo, Japan

GOOGLE - Autonomous robotic cars unveiled May 2014

HEXAPODS

HUMANOID - University of Aalborg bipedal robot project - DIY Robot Kit - 

MANTIS - Giant hydraulic hexapod powered by 2 liter diesel engine - completed UK project

OCTOPODS

QUADRUPEDS

ROBOBEE - Harvard microbiotics laboratory project

ROBOT ANT

SPIDERBOT

STOMPY - Giant hydraulic hexapod powered by fork lift truck IC gas engine

TRIPODS

VISLAB - Autonomous car controls, vision (camera & laser) based object recognition system

New advances in the transportation technologies never cease to amaze us. The maritime industry is blazing a trail with Rolls-Royce currently working on autonomous vessels in order to have greater security for the seamen. The engineers of the firm hope that in near future they would be able to sail remotely controlled and unmanned cargo ships.

The development team Blue Ocean of Rolls-Royce has developed a prototype of its virtual reality office at Alesund in Norway. This prototype simulates a 360-degree view from the deck of a ship. Rolls-Royce, the manufacturer of engines and turbines, based in London, says that the captains on land can use the virtual reality office as a single control point center for hundreds of vessels without a crew.

“These phantom ships are safer, cheaper and cleaner for the transportation industry, they would save $375 billion a year,” said the company representative. They can be deployed in regions such as sea Baltic in the coming decade. However, the project still faces several obstacles. The unions representing a million seamen oppose the project.

Shipping companies, insurers, engineers, unions and regulators doubt that ships without crew could be safer and profitable in the near future. Although the idea of automated ships was conceived several decades ago, it is only now that the company has started to work on it. 

The artists impressions above show the company ships loaded with containers at the front and rear, without the bridge structure where the crew lives. Replacing the bridge and other systems that support the crew, such as electricity, air conditioning, water and the waste water reduces the cost and increases the revenue, Levander is quoted as saying. The ships would be 5% lighter before loading the cargo and burn 12-15% less fuel, he said. It also eliminates any risk to crew safety (accidents, storms, pirates). The ultimate goal is to develop a remotely controlled ships which are also secure. These unmanned ships may well become a standard of tomorrow. Years of research will be needed to see these freighters traveling the oceans. However, disruptive technology like this could well upset the shipping industry, that is then bound to resist change for all it is worth.

ROBOT LINKS

Bloomberg Rolls-Royce drone ships challenge 375 billion industry freight

Technocrazed Autonomous-unmanned-vessels-will-revolutionize-the-shipping-industry

Spectrum IEEE Robotics - Spectrum IEEE Robotics DIY

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-25/rolls-royce-drone-ships-challenge-375-billion-industry-freight.html

http://www.technocrazed.com/autonomous-unmanned-vessels-will-revolutionize-the-shipping-industry

http://spectrum.ieee.org/robotics

http://spectrum.ieee.org/robotics/diy

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