Autonomous Subsea Robotic System for inspection and maintenance of strategic Energy assets
This project will develop an AI enabled autonomous subsea robotic system for inspection and maintenance of subsea infrastructure.
Research Opportunities
Summary
The focus of the research here is on development of a subsea robotic system that has enhanced intelligence and autonomous capabilities to support inspection and maintenance of strategic subsea infrastructure such as subsea pipelines, subsea installations (turbines etc), subsea communication cables etc. At the core of robotic inspection and maintenance are the tasks of detection of subsea object/area of interest and performance of complex intelligent manipulation tasks in operational space. There are various challenges in autonomous operations of robotic systems specially in extreme environment of the subsea for precision navigation, sensing, perception, control and manipulation. In the proposed project novel multimodal sensors using depth cameras [1] and SONAR will be explored for navigation, sensing and perception and a custom subsea manipulator will be designed in-house to perform complex manipulation tasks for inspection and maintenance. The proposed project will explore AI/ML [3] based novel algorithms to detect and estimate region/object of interest and depth to grasp and perform complex manipulation through nonlinear operational space control [2] and reinforcement learning techniques. The proposed project will be executed through the BlueROV2 system with SONAR and subsea cameras, motors and drive systems which already exists in the Robotics Lab at Robert Gordon University.
References
- R. Muthukrishnan, S. Kannan, R. Prabhu, Y. Zhao, P. Bhowmick and M. J. Hasan, "Tracking and Estimation of Surgical Instrument Position and Angle in Surgical Robot Using Vision System," 2023 International Conference on Network, Multimedia and Information Technology (NMITCON), Bengaluru, India, 2023, pp. 1-6, doi: 10.1109/NMITCON58196.2023.10275983.
- Quintanar-Guzmán S, Kannan S, Aguilera-González A, Olivares-Mendez MA, Voos H. Operational space control of a lightweight robotic arm actuated by shape memory alloy wires: A comparative study. Journal of Intelligent Material Systems and Structures. 2019;30(9):1368-1384. doi:10.1177/1045389X17721050
- Stefan Ainetter, Christoph Böhm, Rohit Dhakate, Stephan Weiss, Friedrich Fraundorfer, Depth-aware Object Segmentation and Grasp Detection for Robotic Picking Tasks, https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2111.11114
Supervisors
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Research Themes
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We welcome specific ideas from applicants for a potential research degree topic. The University offers a number of potential self-funded topics in each School which you could consider developing your research project around.
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Entry requirements
Entry Requirements for Research Degrees
Normal entry requirements are a first or upper second class honours degree from a University of the United Kingdom, or from an overseas University, or degree equivalent qualification, subject to the approval of Robert Gordon University.
Applicants holding other qualifications shall be considered on their merits and in relation to the nature and scope of the proposed research programme.
Applicants will normally register for an MSc/PhD or MRes/PhD with transfer to PhD dependent on satisfactory progress. However, applicants who already possess a Master’s degree which includes a significant research component could be registered directly for a PhD, subject to a satisfactory research proposal, and clear evidence of research expertise.
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English Language
Any applicant whose first language or language of previous University-level instruction is not English must normally demonstrate competence in English. This should be a score of IELTS 6.5 with 6.5 in all elements, or an approved equivalent.
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Fees & Costs
For Academic Year 2024/2025
UK/EU Students
- Full time - £4,786 per academic year
- Part time MPhil/PhD - £2,870 per academic year
- Part time MRes/MSc by research - £2,390 per academic year
International Students
- Full time - £19,450 per academic year
- Part-time MPhil/PhD - £11,670 per academic year
- Part-time MRes/MSc by research - £9,720 per academic year
For Academic Year 2023/2024
UK/EU Students
- Full time - £4,712 per academic year
- Part time MPhil/PhD - £2,830 per academic year
- Part time MRes/MSc by research - £2,356 per academic year
International Students
- Full time - £18,700 per academic year
- Part-time MPhil/PhD - £11,220 per academic year
- Part-time MRes/MSc by research - £9,350 per academic year
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How to Apply
Applications
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Our Research degrees usually start in February and October each year. There are no formal deadlines for you to submit your application, though we recommend you submit it as early as possible in order to ensure we can help you join us at your preferred time.
Completed application forms should be accompanied by:
- Degree certificate
- Statement of purpose, detailing why you would like to study this degree in the UK, and why you have chosen RGU.
- A short research proposal, in the range of 1,500 - 3,000 words, containing a rationale and background, study aims and objectives, a literature review, proposed research methods and a full reference list.
Further guidance on the application process:
English Language Requirements
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