Robotics/unmanned systems
From AI-enabled walking rigs to subsea drones and autonomous inspection robots, robotics is rapidly moving from pilot projects to field deployment. The technology promises not only greater efficiency but also a fundamental shift in how the industry approaches safety and asset management.
This article from the SPE Robotics and Autonomous Systems Technical Section (RASTS) explores the insights shared at the recent Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston about autonomous systems and their role in the industry's future.
The deployment of a new heavy-duty robotic system aims to reduce workforce exposure to high-risk areas while improving detection of potential leaks.
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The Seaeye Falcon underwater robot is being used in the decommissioning and repurposing of an oil rig offshore Angola. -
A recent mission that saw the robot submarine Autosub Long Range, better known as "Boaty McBoatface," explore and visually map end-of-life oil fields has been hailed as a success.
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Swiss robotics company Hydromea and Scottish remote technology firm ACE have agree to work together to use the world’s first underwater wireless remotely operated vehicle for inspection of offshore facilities.
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Trials of the robotics company’s Hydronaut and Aquanaut system are expected in the third quarter of 2022 after the companies conducted a successful feasibility study.
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The Russian gas company announced that it will use locally source unmanned aerial vehicles to inspect its facilities and pipelines in the Yurkharovskoye field.
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Researchers from the Offshore Robotics for Certification of Assets Hub teamed with EDF Renewables to use a modified remotely operated vehicle to conduct what they say is the first autonomous underwater inspection of wind farm foundations.
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The certification course, run by SeaBot XR, focused on critical topics such as mission analysis, situational awareness, cybersecurity, and resource management.
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Verlume and consortium partners are working to advance the development of a robotic fish designed for efficient offshore inspection.
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A two-armed autonomous underwater vehicle has been launched for complex inspection and maintenance tasks, embedded in a powerful IT infrastructure that enables both intuitive control and monitoring of the system and effective information flow with the plant operator.
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Totally automated drilling today looks like a robot doing all the heavy lifting on a drilling floor. By 2025, there may no longer be anything surprising about it.
