INESC TEC develops first deep sea robotic platform made in Portugal

INESC TEC has developed the first underwater robotic platform for the deep sea which has been completely developed in Portugal, in partnership with Portuguese companies. Project TURTLE - Technologies for long-term presence in the deep sea kicked off in 2014.

The TURTLE can be used not only for civilian purposes, as it carries a set of sensors that make it possible to monitor the ocean (ocean observatories, monitoring seismic activity, marine biology, oceanography), but also military purposes (port protection, border monitoring, intruder monitoring). Moreover, the equipment has the capacity to remain autonomously on the ocean bed for long periods of time.

The platform was first tested in the Port of Leixões, on 28 September.

Besides INESC TEC, the project, approved by the European Defence Agency (EDA), involves the company A. Silva Matos Metalomecânica (with the collaboration of  Ply Engineering, Portugal), the Porto School of Engineering (ISEP), the Portuguese Navy, and the Naval Research Centre (CINAV).

BIP, September 2015