Argeo Robotics, a fully owned subsidiary of marine survey contractor Argeo, has been granted a patent from the Norwegian Industrial Property Office for a subsea electromagnetic remote-sensing system for tracking of buried cables and pipelines below the seafloor.
The patent protects Argeo ’s exclusive services with the products ‘Argeo Whisper’ for finding and tracking pipelines and cables below or on the seafloor at depths not possible with conventional technology.
Argeo Whisper is integrated on Argeo’ autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV). It can also be installed on other subsea vehicles such as remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and can also be used when towed behind a surface vessel.
The company has developed a portfolio of electromagnetic source and receiver systems for AUVs, underwater intervention drones and ROVs.
With the successful development of subsea electromagnetic technology and by establishing a significant patent portfolio around it, Argeo said it is now pursuing product sales and services utilizing Argeo Whisper in new markets segments with significant growth potentials.
Trond F. Crantz , CEO of Argeo, said: “There is significant interest from the offshore windfarm and oil and gas industry in this technology for power cable and pipeline tracking, and this patent puts us in a strong position with a competitive edge.”
Thorbjørn Rekdal , CTO of Argeo, added: “We are very pleased with the electromagnetic source and sensor technologies that are developed by Argeo Robotics, and protecting our inventions is something we consider of utmost importance.”