Robotic Complex for Cleaning a Ship's Hull from Biofouling

Abstract

The task of robotic processes for cleaning ship hulls from biofouling is a relevant and widespread task today, since it can significantly reduce the cost of work, improve the quality, and reduce the maintenance time of marine industry facilities. This article discusses the problem of cleaning hulls from biofouling and solving this problem using a mobile robotic complex, presents the concept of a robot for cleaning the hulls of ships and ships from biofouling, describes the operating diagram of this robot and its main components, namely: cleaning technological module, transport module, intelligent module, sensor module and robot emergency system. An analysis has also been made of which of the typical technological operations for cleaning ship hulls from biofouling in complex environments is most appropriate to robotize from the point of view of technical feasibility and efficiency. The introduction of the artificial intelligence module proposed in the work will allow not only to identify the type of biofouling, but also the expenditure of energy resources to perform the cleaning operation. The system will allow you to identify the type, evaluate the hull of the vessel, and after the operation, the shipowner will have detailed information about the condition of the vessel’s hull, without incurring additional economic costs for surveying the object.