The increasing need to sustainably monitor and exploit the seabed has made it crucial for policymakers and operators to have higher resolution and more timely field-scale measurements of these complex and stressed environments. This rising demand needs to be met with advanced technology and monitoring techniques to ensure the long-term sustainability of marine resources. The current way of inspecting seabed using a single remotely operated vehicle tethered to an expensive support ship with a large crew is not scalable enough to meet the increasing demands for offshore wind and marine protected area monitoring. The OASIS project aims to enhance underwater exploration by utilising ultra-endurance Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) and Uncrewed Surface Vehicles (USVs) equipped with advanced subsea imaging technology and operating them over the horizon. This will result in a significant reduction in both Capital Expenditure (CapEx) and Operational Expenditure (OpEx) costs, as there will be no need for a ship. Additionally, this technology will help reduce the CO2 footprint as no fossil fuels will be burned, and it will eliminate the need for humans to undertake dangerous seagoing operations. This will create new higher-skilled shore-based roles such as piloting and data analytics. This proposal leverages existing ocean technology expertise and high TRL technologies from the UK and Canada, providing a new concept of operations for marine autonomy, enhancing sales of component technologies and delivering new services. There are four technologies that are worth highlighting. These include the National Oceanography Centre's Autosub Long Range (ALR) AUV which has demonstrated its ability to travel long distances and undertake repeated shore launch missions in both the North Sea and Southwestern Approaches. It has been used for physical oceanography and seabed habitat mapping. The second technology is the AutoNaut USV, which is the leading environmentally powered robotic surface vehicle in Europe. The third technology is the Voyis 3D camera and laser system, which was recently used to map the Titanic wreck in 3D successfully. Finally, the University of Southampton's Ocean Perception Laboratory is providing underwater image processing and machine learning expertise. We aim to create an integrated seabed survey system by combining the technologies already mentioned. This system will enable us to capture high-resolution images and micro-bathymetry measurements at low altitudes. This will help in conducting detailed assessments of habitats and understanding the state of subsea infrastructure.

This project is to adapt and develop a COTS casting winch to operate to 100m deep from the wave propelled AutoNaut uncrewed surface vessel (USV). Because the USV does not stop, and operates in the most extreme environments, this presents a special innovation challenge to achieve 100m plus, with 100% reliability. The USV has proven ability to operate offshore for over 115 days and 4,000 nautical miles in all weather and without a supporting mothership. As such it is an ideal zero carbon platform for observing UK offshore and deep ocean biodiversity. This is particularly relevant as floating offshore wind power (FLOW) is developed further offshore. The winch will extend the horizon of USV observation. If successful, the innovation also presents a significant global market opportunity in science, as well as defence, Oil and Gas, FLOW and other commercial applications. Winch sensor applications include CTD, camera deployment, profiling of currents, water quality, sound velocity, and also passive acoustic monitoring (PAM). AutoNauts present special challenges for winch use. They do not stop because the wave propulsion is continuous, and for the same reason it surges. Until now no commercially available winch has been suitable for mounting in this 5m vessel. We have now identified that the OSIL 'Micro Profiling Winch' should be suitable, with adaptations specific to the above challenges. This proposal is to: 1.Fit and integrate the OSIL winch into a 5m AutoNaut 2.To design and build a deployment housing for sensors. 3.To design and fit a suitable emergency line-cutter. 4.To dry test the winch deployment. 5.To sea trial and prove the winch, sensor, and blue tooth data transfer. The sea trial area requires more than 100m depth. Therefore, for economy and practicality it is proposed to conduct the sea trial in Loch Ness, which offers a short distance to reach 100m+ depths, and the opportunity to make immediate adjustments.

The AutoNaut for Extreme Environments Extension project will verify and validate (V&V) technology solutions developed in our original RAI project, and demonstrate AutoNaut's new capability to external stakeholders operating at high latitudes. The aim of the original project was to make the wave propelled AutoNaut unmanned surface vessel (USV) capable of operating in Southern Ocean and Arctic waters, eventually in winter. This proving mission in summer-autumn 2021 is the first step towards that. To verify and demonstrate the new capability the 'Polar AutoNaut' will aim to complete a long-endurance deployment gathering science data from Oban in Scotland to Iceland, and potentially across towards Greenland. These areas, the Extended Ellett Line and OSNAP East, are the subject of important long-term scientific research into subpolar measurement of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation. In this extension AutoNaut will partner with the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS). The aim is to validate AutoNaut's new robust capability to operate at high latitude**_,_** _and_ to gather worthwhile data leading to published science papers so that the demonstration reaches the wider external stakeholder audience. This will also enable us to demonstrate to our global partners/stakeholders/customers in oil and gas, offshore renewables, defence, surveillance, aquaculture, met forecasting and others interested in operating in extreme environments. On this mission AutoNaut will work for the first time in concert with underwater gliders deployed by SAMS and others, and seabed mounted sensors, to gather concurrent surface data. The original project, completing December 2020, developed technological solutions to enable the wave propelled AutoNaut to operate at high latitude, eventually in winter, including: • Anti-icing solutions • Detection and avoidance of small ice in waves. • The provision of electrical hotel power in winter when it is too dark for our usual PV panels to recharge batteries • Build materials capable of withstanding cold, ice abrasion and impact. This extension is an important step in proving and demonstrating new high latitude extreme environment capability. Already R&D in the initial Extreme Environments project has read across to and greatly benefited all AutoNaut products operating globally in a wide range of sectors and roles.

"The aim of this project is to develop a wave propelled unmanned surface vessel (USV) capable of working autonomously, in winter, in the notoriously hazardous Antarctic and Arctic seas, such as the Roaring Forties and Furious Fifties. It is a partnership project led by AutoNaut Ltd, with the Universities of East Anglia and Exeter. The collaborative project will need to solve novel issues such as icing on a small USV, and autonomous ice avoidance, as well as harvesting energy on the move when it is too dark for PV panels to charge batteries. It will adopt advances in the use of neural networking and artificial intelligence to manage and summarise data gathered so that vital data sets can be transmitted in real time via satellite to shore. At present, there is a dearth of data from the Southern Ocean and Arctic, especially in winter. Very few ships pass through these enormous oceans. Not only do we have old and limited data on krill and fish stocks which may be threatened by a globally important fishery (legal and illegal), but climate scientists monitoring CO2 absorption at the surface have contradictory readings. Is the Southern Ocean giving off CO2, or absorbing it? This is a big question in climate science, and therefore for the global economy. From a commercial perspective, the development of a very robust AutoNaut USV, with the capability to operate in the dark, and near ice, has great potential around the world. Some of the most difficult areas for offshore renewables and oil and gas industries are in extremely hazardous environments, such as the North Sea, Barents Sea, and the Arctic, as well of off South Georgia and the Falklands. AutoNaut's wave propulsions system is elegant, and simple, with just four moving parts harnessing the pitching and rolling of a simple monohull to propel it forward. This system is inherently robust and is storm proven in the Atlantic, capsizing and self-righting in large breaking waves. It is seen as the only USV concept that has a chance of surviving such extreme environments. Solutions for icing and energy harnessing will give AutoNaut the capability for vital high latitude work of considerable importance both commercially and scientifically."

"This project will develop an intelligent visual imaging system (including infra-red) that is integrated into an unmanned surface vehicle (USV). The system will process data using computational algorithms and artificial intelligence to visually detect and track objects of interest at sea. A robust communication link will be developed to allow data transfer to a remote location for further action or analysis -- in near real-time. This will be a low-power, low band-width system capable of long-duration missions and integration into all autonomous platforms, including the wave-propelled AutoNaut USV. Marine mammals and seabird are a key concern of the offshore energy industry and monitoring of such marine-life will be the primary aim. This application will enhance environmental impact assessments and assist completion of operations in line with worldwide environmental standards. This innovative method will also have potential in other marine domain awareness applications, such as; asset integrity monitoring, surveillance of marine protected areas, security, border patrol and defence."

The AutoNaut wave-propelled unmanned surface vessel (USV) has a global market to address with a wide range of sensors making possible applications in oceanographic science research, Oil and Gas and Offshore Renewables, military and surveillance activities. This project will allow AutoNaut Ltd to scope, focus and develop its potential in fast growing global markets for autonomous operations. The aim is to form key partnerships in three specific countries which have already shown strong interest in AutoNaut, based on the application as a metocean buoy to provide forecasting data to a wide range of global customers.

MOST (AV) is an SME that has taken the concept of autonomous, self-propelled, surface vessels to production reality. AutoNaut provides unique, robust, cost effective, game-changing opportunities for a variety of markets interested in the remote collection and analysis of marine and maritime data. AutoNaut can undertake extended deployments – over three months without human contact – and is proven and robust having been rigorously tested in the Atlantic. It needs no fuel so has no emissions; it needs no crew so can operate at substantially reduced costs compared to conventional manned ships; and it has a 200kg payload, accommodating a variety of sensors to meet diverse data gathering requirements Such is the variety of potential applications that we need to undertake structured market research to prioritise and focus product development for ASV data collection and analysis in line with market need. A Proof of Market study will allow us to refine the AutoNaut Integrated Sensor Suite (AISS) and offer a modular approach to sensor fitting to meet the greatest number of client needs and significantly increase the environmental and operational data gathering capability, and attractiveness of the product. Our study will establish the range of sensor options that could be included in AISS, identify priority market segments and what is most needed within those segments. The project will focus on four market segments: legal, commercial, scientific and defence and security and will lead us to a far deeper understanding of market need, prioritisation of sensor offerings, and a clear way forward for commercialisation. We will research potential use cases, undertake rigorous market research with existing and potential customers, rate the potential of possible sensor offerings in each core market, and develop a commercialisation plan with an internal and external focus.