Engineers in the U.K. and Brazil have developed a tentacle-like underwater robot that could change how subsea pipelines and offshore structures are inspected, offering a safer and more precise alternative to conventional rigid systems.
The one-meter-long flexible manipulator, created by the U.K.’s National Robotarium and Brazil’s Senai Cimatec, features a soft, bendy backbone and tendon-like cables to move and conform to structures during contact.
Equipped with sensors to detect position and shape, it can make precise movements even in turbulent waters, which make it ideal for deploying from underwater vehicles to inspect offshore wind farms, as well as other offshore energy and marine infrastructure, the researches said.
The breakthrough aims to address key challenges in offshore inspection, where subsea pipelines and equipment at depths reaching nearly 3000 m must be regularly checked to ensure safety and prevent costly failures.
With offshore infrastructure decommissioning costs estimated at over $100 billion by 2030, extending the safe operational life of existing pipelines and equipment delivers both significant economic savings and reduces environmental impact.
Tests conducted at the National Robotarium’s wave tank facility show the robot can position its tentacle-like arm with remarkable accuracy and maintain stability when subjected to external forces of up to 300g.
Even when intentionally disturbed, it can correct its position and return to the desired state within seconds, which according to the researchers is crucial capability for operation in unpredictable ocean environments.
“Our team has taken this innovative underwater robot from initial concept through design and development to successful testing in real-world conditions.
“What makes this particularly exciting is that we've created a solution that doesn't just incrementally improve existing technology - it fundamentally changes how we can approach underwater inspection tasks, opening up new possibilities for safer, more precise interaction with critical subsea infrastructure and potentially transforming how we maintain and protect our offshore assets for decades to come,” said Rowanne Miller, Project Manager at the National Robotarium.
“We worked together with the National Robotarium to conceive an innovative take on underwater manipulation, opening up new use cases for the industry.
“This new branch of development represents an important and disruptive upgrade to our robotics development roadmap, and the seamless cooperation with The National Robotarium played a key role in this new achievement, setting new standards for future international partnerships,” added Lucas Silva, Lead Researcher at Senai Cimatec.