Robotic systems with human-like manipulation are increasingly tasked with exploring complex … [+]
Sarcos Robotics
The global robotics in shipbuilding market size was $581.3 million in 2020. The market is projected to grow to $1001.4 billion in 2028. Parts of the shipbuilding sector have used industrial robotic arms for welding and blasting. But there has been a slower adoption of robotics and automation technologies to alleviate the labor-intensive elements of shipbuilding work and reduce workers’ physical stress.
Kiva Allgood, President and CEO of Sarcos Robotics, says that compared to the automotive industry that has relied on robotics for repetitive tasks for six decades, shipyard robotics are still in their infancy. Allgood, formerly the Global Head of IoT and Automotive for Ericsson, wants to commercialize the company’s military experience for applications that save lives.
“In the US in particular, many dangerous tasks in shipyards are not automated today that really should be, and like many industries, shipping was tremendously stressed by the COVID-19 pandemic, which compounded and highlighted the need for increased automation in shipyards,” said Allgood.
“Shipyards are continually changing and complex environments; this makes leveraging traditional robotics difficult,” said Allgood. “Utilizing highly dexterous mobile robotic systems that can perform repetitive tasks like grinding, sandblasting or painting via supervised and task autonomy is now possible.”
Allgood says that by leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), shipyards can now use technologies that have been on the factory floor for decades.
Modern shipyards
Allgood says that shipyards of the future fall under a broad array of operations, from shipbuilding and dismantling to military defense and operations that may not be traditionally thought of as shipyard activities, such as maintenance and upkeep of offshore wind energy generation equipment.
“Within each of those operations are a wide variety of complex tasks encompassing welding and cutting, machining, plumbing, electrical work, rigging, painting, cleaning and removal of paint and other coverings, and cleanup of chemical and fuel residues,” adds Allgood.
“Shipyards have always relied on skilled workers for tasks such as painting, welding, and cutting and these are tasks that need to be performed in various elements, at height and even underwater,” said Allgood. “The primary uses of robotics in every shipyard application are sparing humans from the danger of those types of tasks and increasing their productivity.”
Looking to the future, Allgood says that shipyards are likely to remain very human-centric for the foreseeable future and that there is room for automation and tools that augment people’s ability and allow them to carry tasks out of harm’s way.
“The industry is responding positively to highly dexterous mobile robotic systems that pair operator and machine to deliver human-like dexterity and task autonomy – while enhancing safety and improving productivity,” said Allgood.
“Shipyards will likely have robotics capable of performing many tasks – with systems that can be updated to meet new requirements and functions, which reduces the need for operators to upgrade hardware and instead puts the focus on software.”
Allgood adds that surveillance and inspection are also a part of the shipyard of the future. “Today, an electromechanical system like the Sarcos SapienSea Class can stay submerged for up to …….