An amphibious robot called iFROG capable of working in teams to clean and inspect monopiles above water level and up to 60 meters below (~6 bar), has successfully completed trials at the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult’s National Renewable Energy Centre in Blyth…
Oil and gas giant Shell has teamed up with offshore robotic ship operator Ocean Infinity to combine expertise and assets to execute multiclient seep hunter projects.'The combination of Shell’s specialist seep hunting expertise and Ocean Infinity’s ‘Armada’ fleet of robotic ships…
Boston Dynamics’ dog-like robot ‘Spot’ is learning new tricks.Working on an oil platform operated by BP nearly 190 miles (305 km) offshore in the Gulf of Mexico, the company is programming Spot to read gauges, look for corrosion, map out the…
In what has been described as a 'world's first' a spider-like robot recently achieved its first blade walk an offshore wind turbine in the UK, opening door to significant offshore inspection cost cuts.Developed by BladeBUG, with support of the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult…
Norwegian subsea drone specialist Stinger Technology has entered into a collaboration agreement with the U.S. ocean robotics firm Houston Mechatronics.Houston Mechatronics is currently developing what has been described as one of the subsea…
Subsea robots can be great for environmental studies and search-and-rescue missions and, but eventually, they must return to a base to recharge their batteries and upload their data, which is a challenge if your robot is an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) exploring deep ocean waters…
Many of the more advanced mechanics of robotic systems are being developed as part of the Offshore Robotics for Certification of Assets (ORCA) Hub in Edinburgh. It’s a publicly funded project led by the Edinburgh Centre for Robotics (Heriot-Watt University and the University of Edinburgh)…
Robots and robotics have slowly been entering our lives, in various shapes and forms (and fictional characters), from self-driving household vacuum cleaners to highly automated manufacturing systems. Now they’re heading for the offshore world – in just as many shapes and forms…
Total has been working on robotics for some years now, having launched the Argos challenge in 2013 and now getting ready to put the Taurob designed Stevie robot through its paces in a trial at Shetland Gas Plant. We spoke with Kris Kydd, Head of Robotics…
Marine robotics company Ocean Infinity has completed its survey project for ExxonMobil, within the enormous Stabroek block offshore Guyana, where the oil giant has over the recent few years discovered more than 8 billion barrels of oil.The project…
Norway's Kongsberg Maritime has signed its first contract for its ROV launch & recovery system (LARS) specifically designed to handle remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) from unmanned vessels.The contract has been signed with Ocean Infinity, who…
A spider-like robot designed for inspection, maintenance, and repair of offshore wind turbine blades has successfully passed its turbine walking test.During the trials, which took place in early March at the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult’s National Renewable Energy Centre in Blyth…
Norway's Kongsberg Maritime has developed a new LARS (Launch and Recovery System) solution for its HUGIN range of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs), which it says will bring 'a series of far-reaching operational improvements.'Kongsberg has decided to have the new LARS operating from midships…
Japanese industrial giant Kawasaki Heavy Industries has contracted the Norwegian underwater drone specialist Stinger, to help it test its prototype AUV (Autonomous Underwater Vehicle).Stinger said last weekend that it would provide Kawasaki…
Aker BP said it plans to trial robots and drones for autonomous inspection, data capture and automatic report generation on its operated Skarv installation in the Norwegian Sea during 2020.The Norwegian focused exploration and production firm…