The Autonomous Inspection Drone (AID) from DeepOcean has won the OTC 2024 Spotlight on New Technology Award, recognizing its potential to revolutionize subsea inspections. The AID is a collaboration between DeepOcean, Argus Remote Systems, and Vaarst, with support from Aker BP.
The drone is based on the Rover MK2 ROV from Argus, with upgraded hardware and software packages. Vaarst contributed the machine vision camera Subslam 2x for autonomous navigation and data collection. The compact drone measures 1.25 x 0.85 x 0.77 m and weighs 320 kg in air. It can operate in water depths up to 3,000 m, travel in DP mode, and has station-keeping and remote control capabilities.
During subsea trials at Aker BP’s Alvheim Field in the Norwegian North Sea, the AID successfully inspected subsea trees and other infrastructure during a 10-day campaign. Operations were supervised remotely from both the Edda Fauna vessel and Remota’s remote operations center in Haugesund, Norway. Inspection data from the AID is streamed onshore, with the vehicle’s position continuously sent back into the digital twin for increased situational awareness.
