DEEP SEE PROBE

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DEEP SEE PROBE Project (Underwater Drone for exploration and deep environmental monitoring)

 

FINCANTIERI is the Lead Partner in the DEEP SEE PROBE Project (Underwater Drone for exploration and deep environmental monitoring) which is aimed at creating an underwater system for the exploration and monitoring of the volume of water and the seabed, providing precious information for making informed decisions in a relevant environment. The aim is to develop an experimental prototype capable of operating at depths greater than 3000 m. The system architecture will be designed to be integrated on other platforms and to adapt to different monitoring and surveillance missions.


The project derives from the need to expand the capabilities of studying the marine environment downwards and draws inspiration from the synergy of different and complementary skills present in the Ligurian territory. It will be necessary to develop a demonstrator functioning in a relevant environment (TRL6) of an underwater robot with the ability to autonomously carry out complex missions and with a range of action that requires optimized propulsion systems.

 

For this purpose, the following will be studied and tested:

  • the use of adequate materials and components, in order to guarantee the operational duration and safety of the missions at the expected depths;
  • a propulsion system powered by a battery system customized according to the mission, which will guarantee the mobility and maneuverability necessary to explore the marine environment at great depths;
  • application of hybrid propulsion technologies to reduce consumption and maximize the operational life of the vehicle, also allowing temporary placement on the bottom and/or exploiting neutral buoyancy conditions;
  • study of a docking system for launch and recovery, recharging and downloading data from different platforms (e.g.: Unmanned Surface Vehicle);
  • advanced communication, navigation, guidance and control technologies as well as for adaptation to the latest command and control tools in terms of applications aimed at ensuring interoperability between systems;
  • Study of hydrodynamics to support optimization (trade-off) for the management of payloads and navigation;
  • Development and integration of an acoustic sensor management platform for the characterization of the underwater acoustic environment as well as some environmental parameters (multiparametric probes: e.g.: CTD) pollutants and other harmful chemical substances present in the marine environment and the acquisition of images;
  • Study of arrangements for the modular management of sensors for different applications (underwater archaeology, marine mammals monitoring, etc);
  • Development and integration of a software module for the agnostic management of receiving electroacoustic payloads evaluating the possibility of integrating management, detection and tracks functions both in passive and in cooperating and non-cooperating bistatic modes;
  • Development and implementation of the functional architecture of the software modules capable of supporting the "plug & play" concept of the individual modules without impacting on the others;
  • Analysis, definition, and development of some autonomous capabilities based on the evaluation of the software modules of the payloads and navigation safety (e.g.: terrain navigation or bottom following, obstacle avoidance, fishing net detection, track following, etc,).

 

The Project is co-financed through the 2021 – 2027 ERDF Regional Program of the Liguria Region, Priority 1, Specific Objective 1.1: Develop and strengthen research and innovation capacity and the introduction of advanced technologies, Action 1.1.1: Enhancement and support for research, also in collaboration with research centers, universities and GIs, into technological product and process innovation and technological transfer, as a driver of regional development and strengthening the competitiveness of the territory.

 

  • START DATE: 01 march 2024
  • PROJECT DURATION: 18 months
  • BUDGET: 1.999.923,36 €
  • FUNDED CONTRIBUTION: 963.663,35 €
  • PARTNERSHIP: FINCANTIERI S.p.A., FINCANTIERI NEXTECH S.p.A., CENTRO PER GLI STUDI DI TECNICA NAVALE CETENA S.p.A., UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI GENOVA, GRAAL TECH S.r.l., ELTEC S.r.l., LEONARDO SISTEMI INTEGRATI S.r.l.
  • CUP: G19J23001850009