Page 43: of Marine Technology Magazine (November 2023)

Jonas Wüst, now CEO at Tethys Robotics, set out to build an autonomous underwater drone following a student research project at Eidgenössische

Technische Hochschule

Zürich (ETH Zurich), a public university in

Switzerland.

Professional divers and the Tethys ROV Underwater drone from Tethys Robotics with the after an underwater inspection operation. DVL500 Compact from Nortek, which facilitates inspection work thanks to reliable positioning.

Swiss Drone and Robotics Center. “Their innovative approach allows inspection and exploration works to be carried out at lower cost and, most importantly, without putting divers at risk.”

The success of the unit has opened up a whole new world of applications. “We are now aiming for applications where we can replace divers, especially in dangerous situations. We recently had our ? rst test with a hydroelectric plant, where the underwater ro- bot had to hold its position relative to the ground in a river ? owing at up to 1.2 m/s. It was quite a milestone to see it used in this application, and how easy it is to do inspections if you have good localization and mapping,” Wüst says.

The technology promises signi? cant bene? ts for the reliabil- ity and safety of important infrastructure. “Wherever you have submerged infrastructure, good reliable

The Tethys ROV can be used from inspection is key.” There are also promising applications for land or from boats without any research on submerged structures. “We’re in talks with arche- further deployment equipment.

ological teams here in Switzerland,” Wüst said. www.marinetechnologynews.com 43

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