Italian Maritime Robotics Expert Bags DNV GL Award
Marco Bibuli was announced as the winner of the DNV GL COMPIT Award 2017 for smart underwater robotics, which took place in Cardiff this year.
The Italian maritime robotics expert, working at the Italian research center CNR-ISSIA in Genova, was honored for his work on team-capable smart robots.
“The jury singled out Marco Bibuli, because his work brought advanced techniques of Artificial Intelligence to practical applications, representing innovative engineering at its finest. In Bibuli’s applications, the robots are not replacing the human, but act as caddies, supporting a diver in his work, for enhanced efficiency and safety,” said COMPIT organizer Volker Bertram from DNV GL
Through a combination of machine vision, machine learning and cybernetics (control engineering), Bibuli has developed the project through to the first field testing stages.
The prototypes give a glance at a future where robots become ubiquitous helpers, used for underwater inspection, cleaning, rescue operations, tank surveys and other tasks, supporting divers for increased safety and efficiency.
COMPIT is the abbreviation for “Computer Applications and Information Technology in the Maritime Industries”. The conference, which took place for the sixteenth time, offered information on advanced IT applications for the lifecycle of ships and offshore structures.
Topics such as autonomous maritime systems, virtual reality and augmented reality, Yards 4.0 and big data, among others, were discussed by the participants. As in previous years, DNV GL was a main sponsor of this event.
