A new tiny drone is in the works that can stay underwater almost indefinitely

Igor Martin, the CEO of Hydromea, explained: “With the ongoing move to automation of offshore energy operations and projected double-digit annual growth rate of the blue ocean economy in the offshore renewables, aquaculture, and kelp farming market sectors, the demand for condition monitoring of the underwater assets will explode over the next decade."

"Building a digital twin of an asset underwater is currently close to impossible. The incumbent technologies are largely developed around defense and offshore oil & gas sectors that can afford the size and cost of complex systems.

However, the economics of the upcoming emerging sectors are such that they require robust, lower-cost, and miniaturized continuous monitoring solutions. We are excited to help address this by combining our expertise in portable robotics and underwater communication technology with Unplugged unrivaled expertise in underwater induction technology,” he added.

"We are already a leading induction supplier with large AUV (autonomous underwater vehicle) players. Through this partnership with Hydromea, we will address the emerging demand for low-footprint drone platforms to provide low-power underwater residency," added Thomas Meyer, the COO of Unplugged.

"Such a platform will enable the harvesting and transfer of data, establishing collaborative communication links between sensors, infrastructure, and larger vehicles. All this is in a continuous remote operation without engaging a surface vessel. This shall open up new ways to think about asset condition monitoring and a giant step towards underwater digital twin capability,” he added.

Existing technologies have been primarily developed for the defense and offshore oil and gas sectors, as they have the resources to support complex and costly systems. However, the economics of the approaching developing sectors necessitate using durable, reasonably priced, and compact continuous monitoring technologies.

"We are already a leading induction supplier with significant AUV (autonomous underwater vehicle) players," said Thomas Meyer, Unplugged's COO. "We will address the growing need for low-footprint drone platforms to offer low-power underwater habitation through this relationship with Hydromea," he added.

This new drone (whether a variant of EXRAY or not) will also make collecting and transferring data possible, creating cooperative communication channels between sensors, infrastructure, and larger vehicles. All of this can be done continuously remotely without using a surface vessel. This will enable fresh perspectives on asset condition monitoring and represent a significant advance toward underwater digital twin capacity.