Greensea launches autonomous hull cleaning spin-off

Marine software firm Greensea Systems has launched a spin-off company that uses its digital expertise to offer a subscription model robotic hull cleaning system.

The spin-off named Armach Robotics offers autonomous hull cleaning solutions relying on intelligence and data fusion. The autonomous cleaning solution is said to be capable of 100% coverage of the hull surface excluding niche areas.

The service provider uses Greensea’s navigation systems to ensure that the robot cleans the hull in the quickest and most efficient way possible, the company said.

As informed, Armach is currently in the ‘build it prove it phase’ that will allow it to build, develop and iterate the robotics platforms and prove that the technology and model work in the real world. 

The company is also working with first adopter partners towards a wider roll-out of pilot programs in 2022.

Ben Kinnaman, Greensea Systems and Armach Robotics CEO, said: “You can’t offer shipowners 100% hull cleaning coverage using an autonomous, robotic solution unless you have a very accurate navigation solution. We (Greensea) began working with the Office of (US) Naval Research back in 2018 on just a system to make proactive in-water cleaning with a robotic solution a reality for the first time.

“But we couldn’t find a manufacturer or vehicle partner that would enable us to enter this industry and achieve the level of potential that we saw. So we have spun the Greensea technology out into this new entity, Armach Robotics.”

Rob Howard, VP Growth and Strategy at Armach Robotics added that the system represents the closest any company has got to fully autonomous hull cleaning.

“With our navigation solution, the robot’s route across the hull is optimised to within inches ensuring no areas are missed or over cleaned, so we can be efficient and fast in performing our service”, Howard stated. 

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