When Open Ocean RoboticsB次元官网网址� boats are out on the seas, theyB次元官网网址檙e manoeuvring their way to areas unreachable by manned vessels. They do it without fear of capsizing and with no gas powering the motor.
They do have a driver, but instead of peering out over the bow, this boatB次元官网网址檚 captain looks into a computer screen at the Vancouver Island Technology Park.
And as most start-ups see the sky as the limit, the Saanich companyB次元官网网址檚 co-founders and married couple, Julie and Colin Angus, are reaching for the depths. Open Oceans Robotics thinks its uncrewed, autonomous and solar-powered boats could be key to understanding our vastly unexplored oceans, enforcing illegal fishing and so much more.
B次元官网网址淲e really donB次元官网网址檛 understand our oceans, 80 per cent of our oceans are unexplored, unmapped, unobserved,B次元官网网址� said Julie, adding that the biodiverse oceans cover most of the Earth and are vital to human life.
On the outside, the vesselsB次元官网网址� unique design allows them to self-right so they never capsize B次元官网网址� which is pretty important as theyB次元官网网址檙e cutting through the water at up to 18 knots. Solar panels on the deck power the propulsion, sensors and communications (radio, satellite and cellular). Energy storage in a battery bank allows the boats to theoretically stay out on the water for months at a time.
B次元官网网址淚t needs to have really high performance, it has to move well with minimal energy input,B次元官网网址� Julie said. B次元官网网址淵ouB次元官网网址檙e not going to get any more energy from the sun, but you can maximize what you do with that energy.B次元官网网址�
The boats constantly beam information back to the Technology Park in real time while on the water through cloud sharing. Julie said the boats are already involved in researching whales and marine mammals, fish populations and ocean-environment conditions, such as salinity, temperature and algae bloom locations.
The drone-like boats are also equipped with several sonar functions, so they could locate whales and alert nearby ships to slow down, map the ocean floor through hydrographic surveying so ships donB次元官网网址檛 hit bottom and determine vertical water currents to see where oil could be spreading in the event of a spill.
| Colin Angus, chief technology officer and co-founder of Open Ocean Robotics at the company's Vancouver Island Technology Park location. (Jake Romphf/B次元官网网址 Staff) |
Julie said they want to make collecting ocean data sustainable and accessible to everyone.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 something that really drives us as a company and us as a team because we know that weB次元官网网址檙e in a cutting-edge area of technology thatB次元官网网址檚 innovating in a number of ways,B次元官网网址� she said.
B次元官网网址淭his has the ability to really make an impact in how we protect our ocean, how we understand them and how we operate sustainably on them.B次元官网网址�
Julie and ColinB次元官网网址檚 inspiration for the company came from when they crossed the Atlantic on a small boat, braving two hurricanes along the voyage.
Colin said using their boats for things like research purposes can be 95 per cent cheaper than using a crewed ship.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 really quite exciting to see what potential there is and the number of different things the boats can do,B次元官网网址� he said.
The couple sees a big future in enforcing CanadaB次元官网网址檚 coastline, which is the worldB次元官网网址檚 longest.
B次元官网网址淵ou can imagine a fleet of boats like (ours) patrolling Canadian waters around the entire perimeter, getting that full situational awareness,B次元官网网址� Colin said.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e working on a way of protecting our oceans, but unless you have a way to enforce them, itB次元官网网址檚 meaningless,B次元官网网址� Julie said.
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