IIT Madras Establishes Solar-Powered Survey Craft for Indian Ports as well as Rivers

• Researchers at IIT Madras have actually developed a solar-powered unmanned independent survey craft for Indian ports and inland rivers.

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras have actually established a solar-powered unmanned self-governing survey craft for Indian ports and also inland waterways. According to the team, the system can undertake independent hydrographic and oceanographic surveys as well as provide real-time information transmission over a cross country.

The researchers remain in the procedure of commercialising the technology with the help of the Ministry of Shipping.

"This system could be equipped with an echo sounder, GPS system and broadband interaction innovation, with the ability of providing exact depth measurements. Along with the resemble sounder as well as the GPS system, it is feasible to include additional oceanographic payloads, a 360-degree video camera, LiDAR for seamless topography as well as bathymetry measurements," K Murali, professor in-charge, IIT Madras' National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways as well as Coasts (NTCPWC), said.

"The craft had an effective field-test recently off the Chennai Coast at Kamarajar Port. Additional area trials under harsher environments have actually been set up during November 2020 at Syama Prasad Mookerjee (SMP) Port, Kolkata," he added.

According to Murali, the Indian maritime industry is currently dominated by foreign technology.

"This is a significant leap in the direction of indigenisation of the Indian maritime market, which is currently dominated by foreign innovation. The craft can providing precise and also precise deepness measurements also in really shallow waters. This autonomous survey craft will certainly assist to fulfill the boosting needs for quantity and also performance as ships are coming to be larger, with optimum loading to make certain one of the most efficient procedures.

"The craft can embark on independent hydrography surveys at various times of the day to recognize the accessible courses that can be used for functional home window and navigational support. It has been created to accomplish survey operations in areas such as ports, harbours, waterways, dams, lakes, lagoons and also various other shallow water zones. It can be operated in the hands-on mode by a remote-control arrangement or as a completely autonomous vehicle," Murali said.