News / Tech
‘World-first’ AI deployment in sea for Bristol tech firm
A newly formed high-tech offshore wind company has grabbed the spotlight with the launch of its ‘world-first’ Artificial Intelligence (AI) – driven autonomous underwater vehicles in its operations.
Beam, which was founded in Bristol, is the result of a major merger of two sister companies; Rovco and Vaarst. The high-tech firm has already used the technology to inspect jacket structures at Seagreen wind farm in Scotland.
Beam believes that the newly deployed technology to be ‘groundbreaking’ as it could slash cost and direct its workforce for areas that need attention.
The new AI-driven technology promises to perform complex underwater tasks with no human intervention, significantly boosting the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of underwater inspections and surveys.
Beam believes that the newly deployed technology to be ‘groundbreaking’ as it could slash cost and direct its workforce for areas that need attention
Brian Allen, the chief executive of Beam, said: “We are very proud to have succeeded in deploying the world’s first autonomous underwater vehicle driven by AI. Automation can revolutionise how we carry out inspection and maintenance of offshore wind farms, helping to reduce both costs and timelines.
“Looking ahead to the future, the potential of this technology is huge for the industry, and success in these initial projects is vital for us to progress and realise this vision. This wouldn’t be possible without forward-thinking customers like SSE Renewables who are willing to go on the journey with us.”
Beam said its new technology is “set to change the ways of working underwater forever”. Inspections of offshore wind farms are considered notoriously labour and time intensive. Moving away from remote operation, bolstered by streaming of data directly back to shore, the technology will enable offshore workers to concentrate on the more complex elements of their roles.
Furthermore, the AI-driven autonomous vehicles are expected to reduce inspection timelines by up to 50 per cent, reducing operational costs. The use of this technology provides other benefits in drastically improving inspection data quality and enabling 3D reconstruction of assets alongside visual data.
“We are very proud to have succeeded in deploying the world’s first autonomous underwater vehicle driven by AI,” said Brian Allen, chief executive of Beam
Seagreen has been operational since October 2023 and is the world’s deepest fixed bottom offshore wind farm. The success of Beam’s project is expected to provide valuable learning tools for other companies involved in the offshore wind sector to propel the industry to greater lengths in the long road to decarbonisation.
Rovco was founded in Bristol back in 2016 by Allen and subsequently launched its spin-off sister firm Vaarst in 2021.
All photos: Beam
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