Exeter tech firm works on pioneering robotic boat project

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A technology business and the University of Plymouth’s Marine Institute have been awarded more than £266,000 for a pioneering project using robotic boats.

Exeter-based HydroSurv Unmanned Survey (UK) Limited and the university have received the funding through Innovate UK’s Smart Grants programme to use autonomous vessels equipped with acoustic sensors to map seagrass beds.

The proposed system centres on the use of low-impact, fully electric, uncrewed data acquisition platforms and non-invasive survey techniques, and will involve developing and training new machine-learning algorithms to classify underwater vegetation.

The resulting solution will monitor seagrass coverage and canopy height, with the sensors being trained to provide a rapid and robust coverage and biomass assessment that can inform ongoing monitoring programmes.

The project, which will include more than 40 days of on-water validation and testing, will build upon existing seagrass research being performed by the university.

It will be developed in Plymouth Sound and the South West, but could ultimately help researchers map, classify and monitor seagrass habitats globally, driving benefits such as blue carbon sequestration, protection of marine biodiversity and creating the conditions for security of fisheries and ocean food sources.

Seagrass beds play a vital role in the day-to-day functioning of the planet. But despite their ecological and economical importance, there is growing evidence they are under direct threat from human activity and climate change. Those threats will now be fully assessed.

David Hull, chief executive of HydroSurv, said: “The use of seagrass as a means of carbon sequestration is well-studied and documented, and we’re beginning to see a shift towards initiatives that can monetise protection and restoration of seagrass ecosystems as capture and offsetting projects.

“To support this, we need non-invasive and economic solutions to monitor aquatic vegetation, and this project – in collaboration with University of Plymouth – is an important step in making this vision a reality.”

The project builds on existing work by HydroSurv and the university, facilitated through the Marine Business Technology Centre, which has resulted in the development of a new approach to marine surveying.

HydroSurv has developed a range of uncrewed vessels and innovative data capture services, and worked with the university to validate an approach using multiple uncrewed vessels to carry out surveys controlled from a single support craft. It also furthers the work of both organisations in relation to UN Sustainable Development Goal 14: Life Below Water.

The university was ranked first globally for the quality of its marine research and teaching in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2021.

And, since entering the market in 2019, HydroSurv is elevating its position as a global innovator in remote survey technology and marine geospatial applications through a growing pipeline of projects in both the UK and Canada.

The new project will be led by a team including ocean exploration and surveying graduate David Walker, who is now a hydrographic surveyor with HydroSurv.

Dr Tim Scott, associate professor of ocean exploration at the university, said: “This is a really exciting collaboration combining our expertise in data analytics and knowledge of the marine environment with HydroSurv’s technical innovations in marine autonomy.

“There has long been a need for cost-effective and robust monitoring of seagrass habitats. This project aims to address this need and demonstrate efficacy with a broad range of national stakeholders. This really is a research and development project with a great story, starting with a marine science undergraduate research project by David Walker, leading to his new career with HydroSurv, and now an industry leading collaboration boosting business innovation in the South West.”