New Project: H2020 Risk-Aware Automated Port Inspection Drone (RAPID)

The EU-funded RAPID project will combine and extend drone technology to deliver a fully automated and safety-assured maintenance inspection service for bridges, ship hull surveys and more. Specifically, the service will combine self-sailing unmanned surface vehicles with autonomous unmanned aerial systems. The project aim is to reduce the time and cost of structural condition monitoring of maritime transport infrastructures such as material-handling equipment, cargo and passenger ships, and bridges. RAPID project will save lives by delivering an early warning system that will detect critical deterioration in transport system infrastructure, while also minimising system disruption and delays to critical supply-chains.

The project is coordinated by the University of West Scotland and with a total budget of €4.9m. Our team will be led by Dr Gerard Dooly, Centre for Robotics & Intelligent Systems, (CRIS), E&CE Dept, UL. CRIS primary role will be in the development of perception systems for UAS including UAS tracking systems, SLAM, and sense & avoid, we will also work on computer vision and control system development for autonomous landing to USV.

For more on RAPID project stay tuned @ rapid2020.eu