Offshore Energy Platforms: The New Challenge for Inspection Robotics

The Research Center's conferences are designed to raise awareness within the community about new topics and technological innovations. 

Intended for a broad audience—students and researchers from all disciplines—these initiatives draw on the multidisciplinary expertise of the MIPS Cluster, partner clusters and organizations, as well as national and international teams.

They are held on the first Friday of every month at 11:30 a.m. and are followed by a buffet, providing an opportunity to continue the discussions.

Speakers

• Juliette Drupt, Associate Professor, University of Montpellier – LIRMM
• José de Jesus Castillo Zamora, Associate Professor, University of Montpellier, IUT Béziers – LIRMM
• Jean-Charles Laurentie, Researcher, University of Montpellier – IES

Abstract

Marine renewable energy (MRE) is booming, and the industrial stakes in the Occitanie region are significant. Ensuring the proper operation of the offshore platforms associated with these marine energy sources highlights specific needs in terms of robotic underwater inspection. These challenges include the structural characterization of the platforms (to detect potential deterioration), the study of the interaction between the platform and marine life (biofouling, noise pollution, impact on marine environments), and the dynamic inspection of the power transmission cable connected to the platform. Consequently, several large-scale industrial and academic projects are being conducted in parallel within the region, involving both the IES for issues related to sensors and energy and the LIRMM for robotic platform inspection. We will present the challenges related to optimized navigation and data analysis for detecting deterioration, as well as the instrumentation and methods for wireless transmission of measurements. The LIRMM’s expertise in underwater drones and the IES’s expertise in sensors and diagnostics are complementary strengths for addressing these challenges.

As part of an initiative linked to the MIPS Cluster’s PTLs, teams from LIRMM (underwater drone control) and IES (sensor and diagnostics expertise) are pooling their expertise to tackle these challenges.

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