Session: 06-04-04 Marine Engineering and Technology IV

Paper Number: 127465

127465 - Al– a Prototype Autonomous Ship Model for Navigating in Ice Conditions 

Autonomous maritime vessels are being rapidly introduced into the maritime. Among their myriad enticing applications, their potential to operate effectively in the challenging Arctic and ice-covered waters stands out. However, prior to embarking on large-scale testing of autonomous technologies, it is imperative to examine them utilizing scaled-down models. This paper introduces a self-sustained Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) named "AL," from “Autonominen Laiva” standing for autonomous ship in Finnish, meticulously engineered for the explicit purpose of ice-covered water navigation.

The development of the AL hull commenced with the utilization of Computer-Aided Design and Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAD-CAM) tools, using an existing icebreaking hull as a prototype. The hull manufacturing process employed 3D printing, executed in a modular fashion. Subsequently, the 3D-printed components were assembled and glued together, followed by a hull painting process before the azimuth installation. A watertightness examination was conducted to ensure the vessel's integrity. Following that AL was then equipped with state-of-the-art electronics, an array of sensors, and positioning algorithms in a ROS (Robotic Operation System) 2 environment.

Through a series of systematic model tests, critical ship hull parameters were identified, permitting the establishment of basic control processes. These control settings were instrumental in the development of a robust navigation and control system for AL. The outcome of these endeavors is a ship model capable of autonomously following a predefined trajectory, as defined by a sequence of waypoints, while also maintaining the desired speed within ice channels. This comprehensive study serves as the cornerstone for future research pursuits in the domain of autonomous navigation within ice-covered environments.

Presenting Author: Victor Bolbot Aalto University

Presenting Author Biography: Dr Victor Bolbot is a post-doc researcher at the Research group on Risk and intelligence in Marine systems of Aalto University with doctoral degree from the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland, and M.Sc degree from the National Technical University of Athens, Greece. During his studies as a Master and PhD student Victor has received multiple awards for his outstanding performance from distinguished organisations such as DNV, IMarEST, Limmat Stiftung, Thomaideion, TRA VISIONS 2020. Victor research interests focus on design, educational aspects, safety and cybersecurity assurance of complex and autonomous marine systems.

Authors:

Victor Bolbot Aalto University
Andrei Sandru Aalto University
Ture Saarniniemi Aalto University
Jan Hendrik Freter Aalto University
Otto Puolakka Aalto Ice and Wave Tank
Pentti Kujala Aalto University
Osiris A. Valdez Banda Aalto University