Uncrewed Systems Technology 048 | Kodiak Driver | 5G focus | Tiburon USV | Skypersonic Skycopter and Skyrover | CES 2023 | Limbach L 2400 DX and L 550 EFG | NXInnovation NX 100 Enviro | Solar power focus | Protegimus Protection

48 I n the world of autonomous and intelligent systems, competencies developed in one type of vehicle can enable major breakthroughs for others. The marine sector in particular has benefited from innovations originally engineered elsewhere. For example, BeeX Autonomous Systems was able to design and build its A.IKANBILIS UUV thanks to AI technologies its engineers had originally developed for self-driving cars (see UST 47, December 2022/ January 2023). In another example, the hydrofoiling electric speedboats from Swedish maritime EV manufacturer Candela achieve very fine control and banking while foiling – something no other hydrofoil can offer so far – thanks to a heavily UAV-inspired flight controller managing the boats’ manoeuvring (as detailed in issue 11 of our sister magazine, E-Mobility Engineering , Autumn 2021). In the latest example of howmarine systems can be improved by engineers from all walks of life, SWL Robotics has unveiled the Tiburon USV, which has taken inspiration from crewed aviation, UAVs and airboats. The company was founded by the father of the current president, Enrique Enriquez Jr, who’d had a long career in materials engineering, particularly metals and alloys for aerospace. The two had also founded their first UAV business in 1996, when the world of autonomous systems was far younger. They sold that business in 2012, and recognised marine autonomy as a more open market and one that would be easy to research and develop for. Being Airboat propulsion allows this USV to carry out surveys in water only a few centimetres deep. Rory Jackson examines its development In at the shallowend February/March 2023 | Uncrewed Systems Technology The Tiburon is a 1.5 m USV designed for bathymetry and other surveys, and to be deployed from its mothership the FR-10 in the future (Images courtesy of SWL Robotics)