Controlling remote robotic systems
Published: 14 February, 2024
HonuWorx has announced it has developed and tested its new cloud-based solution for controlling and supervising remote robotic systems – “HonuMove”, with the support of an Offshore Wind Growth Partnership Development Grant.
Remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) are vital to the growth of the offshore wind sector and are used across the lifecycle from site selection to installation and into operations and maintenance. Through the progressive decrewing of supporting vessels, operators can reduce the cost, safety and environmental burden of subsea work.
HonuMove says it is building upon the existing capabilities of the HonuWorx cloud architecture which was first developed in 2021 to remotely support subsea operations with live video streaming, remote system access and embedded team collaboration. To these capabilities, HonuMove adds a remote piloting module that allows a geographically distributed pilot to securely request and take control of a subsea robot directly from the cloud platform.
Thanks to the scalable cloud architecture, HonuMove users are not limited to a single physical location to access live operations. This allows trained pilots to actively participate in a subsea operation from any location instead of having to travel offshore or to a Remote Operations Centre. Permission controls and state-of-the-art network security assure the safety and reliability of operations. The system features a modular architecture so that it may support a range of vehicles from different manufacturers.
The company says HonuMove enables 24-hour operations by allowing clients to transfer communications and control between teams across different time zones, improve access to onshore technical support and ultimately reduce the numbers of personnel traveling offshore. The new solution offers clients a reliable remote solution with flexible interfaces and integrated marine connectivity, bringing a new level of collaboration to offshore projects. HonuMove will be offered as a turnkey integrated service, and can be configured for projects of all durations.
The project culminated in a demonstration of the control of the VALOR ROV, a highly capable observation class vehicle manufactured by Seatronics. From a test tank in Aberdeen, remote control was demonstrated from multiple locations in the UK and the US using various different communications modes, including satellite and 4G LTE.
HonuWorx Chief Executive, Lee Wilson, comments: “It was a pleasure working with the Offshore Wind Growth Partnership on the development of our latest cloud-crewing product – HonuMove. It’s well established that remote operations offers improved efficiency and reduces the safety and environmental impacts of offshore work. Our aim with HonuMove is to make the technology accessible across the supply chain by offering a vehicle-agnostic platform that is scalable and truly distributed. Leveraging OWGP’s network has enabled us to better understand the unique challenges associated with offshore wind operations and further develop our relationships within the sector.”
OWGP Programme Director, Anil Sayhan, comments: “We are very pleased with the successful completion of the HonuMove project that we have supported since September 2022. Over-The-Horizon Subsea Robotics Control is an exciting technology and Honuworx has demonstrated that marine operations can be accurately and reliably controlled from onshore. This is the type of news offshore wind farm operators in the UK and worldwide await to hear from innovative UK supply chain companies. We remain hugely excited about the growth potential of HonuWorx”
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