The maritime environment of the Belgian coastline holds significant economic importance, necessitating robust surveillance and security measures for critical infrastructures as well as navigation channels. Unmanned maritime system offer promising solutions, leveraging autonomy to enhance monitoring capabilities. The RMA’s RAS research unit contributed to the MARSUR project, aiming to develop a fleet of autonomous maritime systems for efficient operations. The ongoing project MULTIMETER is equipping the MARSUR system with advanced sensors, including thermal camera and side scan sonar, for efficient monitoring of sea traffic, situational awareness, but also bottom mine detection. These advancements in autonomous systems not only bolster the maritime capabilities of the RAS lab but also underscore the transformative potential of employing digital twins for USVs. Whether it involves refining robust autonomous motion control algorithms, facilitating comprehensive training simulations, optimizing operational preparedness, or integrating real-time sensors-in-the-loop functionalities, digital twins offer a versatile toolset for enhancing USV operations and development.
The MaiWa project expands the scope by addressing the challenges of maneuvering in waves through the development of two symbiotic aspects: the deployment of a USV equipped with advanced sensing technology; and the building of a corresponding virtual platform with sea conditions effect considered.
The first focus on leveraging autonomous USVs with enhanced motion control capabilities is highly relevant for the Belgian Navy. It aims to improve the situational awareness for informed decision-making (see Letter of Support – Appendix C). It would also provide the Belgian Navy its own experimental research platform, enabling even more flexibility for transversal research marine projects.
The second, considers computational prediction of ship performance to broaden the design analysis, encompassing stability and maneuvering in waves. By providing detailed insights into flow physics, their impact on ship’s reactions should result in improved design and control capabilities for the experimental setup.