California's marine advanced robotics has recently made considerable progress in its excellent wave adaptability module ship (wam-v). It is reported that the huge 100 foot Proteus has laid the foundation for the smaller and smarter machines that the company is now manufacturing.
Wam-v is an ultra light catamaran, whose hull is mounted on ingenious suspension legs, uses springs, shock absorbers and spherical joints to drift with the waves and help stabilize their pitch and roll, so as to make these ships suitable for sea conditions that other ships of the same size can't operate at all. Because the propellers are always in the water, they are highly operable and can rotate almost 360 degrees under their feet.
This is part of wave adaptability. They are also modular and have fast connection interfaces, which enables operators to quickly change propulsion systems, payloads and sensor / instrument packages to complete different tasks. In addition, they are transportable, built for rapid assembly and disassembly, and they can be broken down into very small, four 16 foot wam-vs can be packed in a standard shipping container.
If they are large enough, WAM vs can operate a manned cabin. Or they can operate autonomously or through remote control. Marine advanced robotics has now manufactured and delivered products of various sizes, from the magnificent 100 foot Proteus to the small autonomous 8-foot ship. Due to the ultra shallow draft of this design, their bodies can run in 6 inches of water.
Even without dismantling them, they can lower their top platform to the level of the water, making it easy to change payloads in the air or get people on board. If necessary, they can also fold their legs, making themselves more compact from side to side. In addition, they can choose to run with internal combustion engine or electric motor according to the nature of the task at hand.
All this makes these things an excellent platform for various applications in the fields of research, mapping, surveying, asset inspection, national defense and robot research. Wam-v has been the platform used in the maritime robotx challenge since 2014. This is an international student robot competition focusing on cooperation and autonomy. The participating teams program their ships in the competition to complete a series of different tasks, such as navigation according to visual prompts, simulated search and rescue operations, UAV support, self docking in the designated Bay, etc.
Marine advanced robotics is available in sizes of 8 feet, 16 feet and 22 feet (2.4 meters, 4.8 meters, 6.7 meters), but also offers the option of customizing larger ships. But the company also leases them as a service, either alone or in the fleet.
