Marine Technology

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Robots. The picture shows Professor Ingrid Bouwer Utne in a boat.

NOK 29 million to make robots smarter

The EU is funding NTNU professor Ingrid Bouwer Utne’s work to make robots and autonomous systems understand situations better when there is imminent danger and give operators insight into what they are actually ‘thinking’.

Seabed mining

Norway will be the first in the world to approve seabed mining. Is it a good idea?

The transition to a greener, renewable economy will require large amounts of minerals, and society has to get them from somewhere. Norwegian politicians have reached an agreement approving deep sea mining, in a proposal that has reaped both cheers and frustration from scientists and activists alike. Here’s what our scientists think.

Training underwater robots to find charging stations — on the seabed

NTNU’s largest laboratory – the Trondheim fjord – is something of an Eldorado for researchers developing underwater robots. A charging station has been installed on the seabed, and to ensure the robots can find the shortest route to the charging station, they train in the fjord.

A paradigm in conducting hazardous and innovative basic research

NTNU Amos is an expansive ocean research and innovation community that’s composed of both highly honed specialist expertise and an incredibly broad scope of knowledge. It also adheres to a popular Norwegian football strategy: Develop talents by allowing them to do what they do best – and playing to each other’s strengths.

People at Nyhavna in Trondheim.
NOTES

New test arena opened for seafaring robots

The Nyhavna industrial area in Trondheim, which is being developed into a new mixed-use neighbourhood, has seen significant maritime technology research and innovation. NTNU Nyhavna for autonomous vessels is now officially opened.

More efficient ocean mapping and monitoring

Australia has a seafloor monitoring program where they can precisely surveil the changes in the environment. NTNU has attracted one of the key researchers from this project. Oscar Pizarro’s research goal is to find tools to facilitate continuous observation with less resources.

Photo of self-propelled ferry.

NTNU trials world’s first urban autonomous passenger ferry

In earlier times, cities like Trondheim and Bergen had a ferryman who rowed people from place to place. They were the taxi drivers of the waterways. Now, a new, future-oriented form of water transport will be available to the public.

Observing Arctic marine life — from the seabed to space

NTNU researchers from AMOS, the Centre for Autonomous Marine Operations and Systems, used small satellites and subsea robots — and everything in between — to study marine life in Svalbard’s Kongsfjorden in a first-ever experiment in May.

Measuring the impact of extreme waves on offshore structures

Strong storms can trigger steep, breaking waves that slam into platforms and wind turbines with tremendous force. Scientists at NTNU and SINTEF are studying the behaviour of offshore structures subjected to these kinds of waves. Their goal is to increase safety at sea.

Long-houl shipping at sea

Ammonia – the key to making long-haul shipping green

Relatively simple adaptation could make the cargo ships of the future completely green. The technology is based on the chemical compound ammonia, some extensive number crunching and one or two engine modifications.

Icebreaker in ice

What kind of sea ice is that? Ask Knut!

A new app under development is using deep learning and artificial intelligence to classify different kinds of sea ice. People snapping photos during Arctic cruises and uploading them to the new app could someday help prevent Titanic -scale disasters.

A robotic microplankton sniffer dog

The microscopic, free-floating algae called phytoplankton — and the tiny zooplankton that eat them — are notoriously difficult to count. Researchers need to know how a warming climate will affect them both. A new kind of smart, lightweight autonomous underwater vehicle (LAUV) can help.

Three men

Taking control of unmanned vessels at sea

What’s needed to be able to safely send a vessel to sea with no crew? How will these vessels detect a kayaker or a recreational boat that drifts into the course of the unmanned vessel? A new Centre for Research-Based Innovation, SFI AutoShip, will look for answers to these questions – and more.

Using ships themselves to monitor and predict waves

Waves present an enormous challenge for the world’s roughly 91,000 commercial vessels, but predicting sea conditions is challenging. A new approach uses the movements of ships themselves to create an online estimate of what kinds of waves ships can expect.

Teaching robots to cooperate underwater

The launch of a new research centre for robotics will provide increased knowledge about the sea with the help of underwater drones and robots. This could impact Norway’s international role as a major power at sea, says centre director.

Ocean life in 3-D: Mapping phytoplankton with a smart AUV

Phytoplankton form the base of the marine food chain but are notoriously difficult for scientists to account for — a little like trying to identify and count motes of dust in the air. A truly independent underwater vehicle shows it can do the job.