AN AUTONOMOUS UNDERWATER VEHICLE (AUV)
Type of innovation: Technical
Company Name: National Oceanography Centre
Company Function: oceanographic research institution
The National Oceanography Centre, a collaboration between the Natural Environment Research Council and the University of Southampton, is the country’s focus for oceanography and represents an unparalleled investment in marine and earth sciences and technology in the UK. The center is located on a purpose-built, £50 million waterfront campus on the city’s Empress Dock.
Function of Innovation: Autosub technology has enabled autonomous underwater surveying. The vehicle can operate for approx 40 hrs undertaking preplanned surveys in the open ocean to depths of 1600m, and under ice. The vehicle is 7m long, 0.9m diameter and is usually launched from a ship, via lifting davit. Over vehicles have operated in the North Sea, Atlantic Ocean, Irish Sea, Mediterranean, Artic and Antarctic oceans and other local waters. The vehicle allows information about water quality and sea floor images to be collected as never before.
Who will benefit what has it achieved?: Scientifically and operationally the achievements have been recognised, via papers, at conferences, and by industry. It has been the basis for a large MoD contract to move AUV into UK Naval operations. Autosub has been operated across the world on behalf of the UK marine science community, and has been licensed by Halliburton for use in the Offshore Oil Industry.
Each year the Centre host the Unmanned Underwater Vehicle Showcase, promoting AUV technology, and has featured Autosub, on TV Radio, and in the press. Conference presentation and journal articles have also been given across Europe, USA, Australia and Africa. It has been presented on two occasssions as ''best practice'' for exploitation within Natural Environment Council (NERC) at conference in York, and at Rainbow Fund Launch in Barbican Centre, London
This innovation is first for the world.
Development: Development commenced in 1989 and first entered the water as a demo vehicle in 1996. The license was granted to Halliburton in 2001. The royalty stream from the licence is the biggest single income for either the University of Southampton or the Natural Environment NERC
How it was supported: The innovation has been supported primarily by NERC over 19 years, with a minor contribution from the MoD during its desktop demonstration phase.
Collaboration: All commercial colloaboration has come after the first vehicle was operational, industry was not keen to support a high risk expensive development program.
Once the Offshore Industry realised the potential vessel saving costs, improved data quality, reduced survey time, they were keen to embrace the technology commercially.
Awards received: Design Council Millennium Product 2000 Lord Lloyd of Kilgerran Prize Lecture 2001 - presented at the Royal Society in London. The technology team are developing a new vehicle which will operate in depths of 6500m, allowing it access to 95% of the worlds oceans. The most spectacular surveys will be of the mid Atlantic ocean vents - these are like underwater volcanoes
Website address: www.noc.soton.ac.uk/nmf/usl_index.php?page=as
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