The rapid development of autonomous systems and Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) create new opportunities for maritime activities. Existing autonomous systems are becoming more powerful and utilise the capabilities of several types of devices such as Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs), Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs) – sometimes referred as Autonomous Surface Vehicles (ASVs) –, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), moored and drifting systems and, recently emerging, autonomous vessels. Their importance in providing new services in maritime environments is undeniable and the opportunity for coordinated and interconnected operations is clear. However, continuous wide integration of various technologies in maritime environments still faces many challenges. Operations may take place in remote locations, so that dependence on third-party infrastructures such as satellite communication or terrestrial communication systems must be expected. The reliability, performance, availability, and cost of such systems are important issues that need to be tackled. This work reviews the major advancements on state-of-the-art autonomous maritime vehicles and systems, which are used in several different scenarios, from scientific research to transportation. Moreover, the paper highlights how available technologies can be composed in order to efficiently and effectively operate in maritime environments. Highlights of the trade-off between autonomy and communication requirements are provided and followed by an overview of promising communication and networking technologies that could encourage the integration of autonomous systems in maritime scenarios.

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Survey on Communication and Networks for Autonomous Marine Systems

Within the scope of a changing energy market, wave energy has yet to reach a level of commercial viability that enables it to become competitive with alternative energy sources, both renewable and non-renewable. Despite the well-known advantages inherent to the resource, there are several challenges that must be overcome before wave energy gains a relevant share of the global energy market. While near-commercial stages of development are still outside the reach of most wave energy converters, it is important to find new perspectives that facilitate the development process and improve the chances of a successful deployment and operation. In this paper, a review of synergetic technologies with the potential for hybridization and/or co-location with wave energy converters is presented. Potential applications of wave energy conversion devices, within the context of nearshore and offshore niche markets that minimize/eliminate, respectively, mainland grid connection and inherent costs are also discussed. It is found that mutual gains can be attained from this complementary approach, namely in terms of infrastructure sharing, critical component protection, introduction of a beneficial shielding effect, energy storage upgrading, coastal erosion mitigation and electricity supply to various marine mobile platforms for different offshore and nearshore activities, amongst others.

On the potential synergies and applications of wave energy converters: A review

The deployment and recovery of autonomous or remotely piloted platforms from research vessels have become a way of significantly extending the capabilities and reach of the research fleet. This paper describes the use of ship-launched and ship-recovered Boeing–Insitu ScanEagle unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The UAVs were instrumented to characterize the marine atmospheric boundary layer (MABL) structure and dynamics, and to measure ocean surface processes during the October 2012 Equatorial Mixing (EquatorMix) experiment in the central Pacific and during the July 2013 Trident Warrior experiment off the Virginia coast. The UAV measurements, including atmospheric momentum and radiative, sensible, and latent heat fluxes, are complemented by measurements from ship-based instrumentation, including a foremast MABL eddy-covariance system, lidar altimeters, and a digitized X-band radar system. During EquatorMix, UAV measurements reveal longitudinal atmospheric roll structures not sampled by ship measurem...

The Use of Ship-Launched Fixed-Wing UAVs for Measuring the Marine Atmospheric Boundary Layer and Ocean Surface Processes

The defense industry has unique features involving national sovereignty. Despite the characteristics that led to the separation of the military and civil spheres, since the 1990s, the number of dual-use projects has been growing. Taking into account that Portugal is a small European country, this paper analyzes the relationships within the defense industry in order to determine how university–industry–government relationships (the Triple Helix) function in this specific industry. The analysis of 145 projects of the Portuguese Ministry of Defense led to the following conclusions: first, academia was represented in more than 90% of the projects, and 40% of those projects have a dual-use application; second, there is a predominance of knowledge production, dissemination and application, for which the university’s institutional sphere is essential and third, the Triple Helix system evolves into a network of relationships that involve projects with both civil and military applications.

https://repositorium.sdum.uminho.pt/bitstream/1822/71534/1/JOItmC-06-00183.pdf

Portugal’s changing defense industry: is the triple helix model of knowledge society replacing state leadership model?

Different flapping wing micro aerial vehicles (FWMAV) have been developed for academic (Harvard’s RoboBee), military (Israel Aerospace Industries’ Butterfly) and technology demonstration (Aerovironment’s NanoHummingBird) purposes. Among these, theDelFly II is recognized as one of themost successful configurations of FWMAV, with a broad flight envelope, that spans fromhover to fast forward flight, revealing autonomous capabilities in the form of automatic flight and obstacle avoidance. Despite the technological development, very little is known about the dynamic behavior and aerodynamic force generation mechanisms of FWMAVs which, in turn, limits the development of models that could be used for advanced control strategies and flight simulations. The present dissertation contributes to the understanding of the mechanics of flapping flight, using a data-driven systematic approach to the modeling of the DelFly II.

Model identification of a flapping wing micro aerial vehicle

http://link-springer-com-443.webvpn.fjmu.edu.cn/content/pdf/10.1007%2F978-90-481-9707-1_75.pdf

Maria da Luz Madruga Matos

Papers

Unmanned Aircraft Systems for Maritime Operations

From Research to Operations: The PITVANT UAS Training Experience