Sentinus

Underwater Inspection Technology Featured in Sofart Magazine

Sofart magazine, a Danish publication that focuses on the maritime industry, recently featured Sentinus, our underwater inspection robot.

The article titled “Funen’s underwater robot scans ship hulls in 3D” showcased several key aspects of our technology.

Underwater robot scans ship hulls in 3D

  • Firstly, it highlighted the vision behind Blue Atlas Robotics and our ambitious plans to scale globally.
  • How our Sentinus robot surpasses a traditional ROV.
  • The importance of photogrammetry in innovative in-water inspections.
underwater robot at shipside

Our underwater robot Sentinus inspecting a ship hull by tracking sideways.

Upcoming Global Scaling Ambitions

According to Teddy Folmer, Sales Director at Blue Atlas Robotics, our plans to expand globally are well underway. We signed our first distributor agreement in November 2022, and this year we will begin actively selling our technology. Currently, we have a presence in nine countries, but we aim to establish a foothold in all the world’s major maritime markets by mid-2024.

Kevin Evardsen Grau, Mechanical Engineer, Mads Andersen, CEO, Teddy Folmer, Sales Director in the picture.

Sentinus robot goes beyond a normal ROV

  • Inspect in any orientation – The Sentinus robot is more advanced than a typical ROV. Unlike traditional work-class ROVs used in the offshore industry, Sentinus can inspect in all orientations. Rather than orienting itself and moving forward, Sentinus operates horizontally and parallel to the surface it is scanning, such as a ship’s hull below the waterline or a harbor quay.

 

  • Artificial Intelligence – The robot’s autonomous features are powered by artificial intelligence. It can maintain a set distance from the side of a ship or harbor quay, even if there are indentations or irregularities in the surface, such as around the bulb or stern of a ship.

Photogrammetry is a key part of innovative in-water inspections

According to Mads Andersen, the true innovation and advancement in underwater inspections are not in the technical components integrated into the underwater robot, but rather in the field of Computer Vision, specifically in the area of photogrammetry.

Innovative in-water inspections heavily rely on photogrammetry, a key component of computer vision technology. This technique involves the reconstruction of submerged environments in 3D form using photographs. By utilizing photogrammetry, 3D models of inspection areas can be created, allowing inspectors to easily zoom in and view the areas from different angles.

A 3D model of a vessel hull segment.

Commercially available photogrammetry software is already on the market, but we also offer a cloud-based solution developed in partnership with LE34 called Sentinus x PointView. We can provide data in an accessible and customized format, allowing customers to choose the solution that best fits their needs. As Mads Andersen concludes, this approach is a major aspect of our product offering. Click here to read the full article published in Sofart Magazine.