Robots that mimic marine life

DW (English)

Robots that look like sea creatures or penguins packed with state-of-the-art technology are collecting large amounts of data underwater. This was previously only possible with great effort. They are also increasingly being used to detect acts of sabotage.

Transcript

00:00It might look like any other manta ray, but it's actually quite different.

00:07This one contains high-tech equipment.

00:11There's the fin steering, of course, but also an underwater modem.

00:15There are radio and Wi-Fi communication interfaces.

00:19And there are networking solutions for ocean monitoring.

00:24So far, this manta ray is just a prototype that shows off some of the company's capabilities.

00:30If you take a fish and apply pressure to its flank, it pushes back.

00:38What we have here is a very special construction, where, too, when you apply pressure, the wing

00:43changes its shape due to the movement of its, let's say, fishbone.

00:49We love the beauty of nature, its forms, its aesthetics, and the functionality behind

00:55it all.

00:57But it's not as an end in itself.

01:00There's a technical purpose for everything.

01:04These appliances are shaped to be extremely dynamic.

01:09They have a very low drag in water.

01:13It uses very little energy to move ahead.

01:16It's also extremely quiet.

01:19Now, looking at communication technology, we're taking inspiration from dolphins and

01:26we're getting a very robust data connection.

01:29And it's all very environmentally friendly.

01:35And this is the company's bestseller, Sonobot, a small catamaran.

01:40It's being used at Berlin's Museum Island today.

01:43The catamaran is using sonar to detect whether water levels here have changed since the new

01:48subway line was built here a year earlier.

01:51It's important information, not least for shipping companies active on Berlin's waterways.

01:56The catamaran's onboard computer uses AI and can even help locate lost items.

02:03Here we can see the depth values.

02:05Like here, it's a bit lighter, which means it's a bit deeper.

02:08Where it's red here, the water is pretty shallow, between two and four meters deep.

02:15Sonobot makes for easy surveying.

02:18The job used to require larger boats with big crews.

02:25They had knots on a rope and would let it down to see how deep the water is.

02:31But in the time it took them to navigate the boat to the next stop, we're pretty much done

02:36with the whole job.

02:40We're a lot more flexible and faster.

02:46These days, Evologix has around 100 employees and builds one or two Sonobots per day.

02:52For between 100 and 500,000 euros, depending on their configuration.

02:58Industrial clients from 65 countries use them when building dams, offshore wind parks, bridges

03:04or to check on pipelines.

03:06They're also used in harbors to keep an eye on critical infrastructure.

03:15Of course we're working within a framework of geopolitical and geostrategical developments.

03:21There are special challenges in the Black Sea, the South China Sea, with China, Russia,

03:26that involve maritime solutions.

03:30Maritime safety is a big topic and we have to deal with it here in Germany and Europe

03:34too.

03:41And this one is supposed to help with those challenges.

03:46The Quadroin, a maritime robot inspired by penguins.

03:52Unlike Sonobot, it can dive and collect maritime and environmental data from great depths.

04:03It can be steered by remote control or travel autonomously.

04:12It's another high-tech solution that's gaining interest in industry, but also with police

04:17and even the military.

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