Rovco has been awarded further funding by Innovate UK to develop the next stage of its integrated live 3D vision and artificial intelligence (AI) survey technology.
This brings the combined total in technology grants for the UK subsea services company to £1.46 million.
The next stage, AUV3D Phase 2 continues from the successful Phase 1 project and trials proving the technology at the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult’s test centre.
In collaboration with ORE Catapult and ScottishPower Renewables, the funding will support additional research into the 3D vision technology by applying machine learning and AI based analysis to 3D survey and cable burial data.
During the 18-month project, Rovco aims to achieve live transmission of 3D subsea models to shore, and as the project progresses Rovco will also commercialize its technology.
Brian Allen , Rovco chief executive and founder, said: “We are excited to be partnering with ORE Catapult again and ScottishPower Renewables to deliver cutting-edge live 3D vision technology to the subsea market.
“The Innovate UK funding will enable our disruptive tech to be brought to market, bringing tangible benefits to the industry in terms of significant cost and time savings. Securing this funding follows months of commercial testing and is testament to the strength of the technology and the unique offering we have developed at Rovco.
“R&D is a key focus for us and over the next year we are planning on doubling our R&D team to ensure we continue to be at the forefront of new technology. Our aim is to develop a system which delivers a step change in subsea survey, brings greater efficiencies to underwater projects, and enables full autonomy.”