South Hampshire College Group (SHCG) – a ‘consortium’ of three Further Education colleges from Southampton, Eastleigh and Fareham, UK – confirms that it has ordered a pair of remotely controlled ‘digital training vessels’ (DTVs). The DTVs will enable students to learn skills related to remote surveying, patrolling, monitoring and even search and rescue (SAR): both via line-of-sight, using a local wireless controller, or from a classroom-based remote operations centre.
SHCG’s hope is that, when the students leave college, “they will be better equipped to enter a broad spectrum of fast-growing maritime sectors, including offshore wind farm support, hydrography, aquaculture, defence, and marine sciences”.
The DTVs are effectively REAV-28-class inland USVs, produced by HydroSurv. Each of these aluminium catamarans measures 2.8m in length and 1.25m in breadth; has a lightship mass of approximately 200kg; and relies on twin Torqeedo 1103 electric outboards for a speed of 5.5knots. Each DTV will also be powered by Robosys Automation’s Voyager AI software, which offers IMO Degree 4-level autonomy, plus features such as collision avoidance, anti-grounding and smart object avoidance.
Robosys comments: “Whilst it can be operated remotely from any site operating Robosys’ fully mobile Ground Control System, the DTV can be easily relocated for immediate deployment in shallow lakes, swimming pools or Solent’s waters, being highly suited to training operations.” Meanwhile, HydroSurv tells Ship & Boat International: “The first DTV will be delivered from HydroSurv to Robosys in April, with the second scheduled for May/June.”
This isn’t Robosys’ only college deal: in Q4 2023, the group announced a three-year partnering agreement with AMC Search, the training and consultancy division of the Australian Maritime College, which is responsible for providing autonomous maritime systems training and engineering services to the merchant shipping and defence sectors. This partnership aims “to drive pioneering remote operator training on a worldwide scale”, incorporating procedures for joint human-AI operations.
