Galatea, Bio-inspired Autonomous Underwater Vehicle
Themes: Robotics
Late lab scale demonstration
A TRL is a measure to indicate the matureness of a developing technology. When an innovative idea is discovered it is often not directly suitable for application. Usually such novel idea is subjected to further experimentation, testing and prototyping before it can be implemented. The image below shows how to read TRL’s to categorise the innovative ideas.
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Why?
Dedicated underwater missions in complex and vulnerable underwater areas benefit from a highly manoeuvrable, robust and efficient robot equipped with undulation fin propulsion.
How?
Deriving basic performance principles from biomechanic research on seahorses cuttlefish and use them as an inspiration and functional requirements for state of the art underwater robotics.
When?
In a few years, swarms of underwater robots, will carry out stealthy inspection, surveilance and research missions with a unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution.
Ir. Tim Vercruyssen