Prototyping
INESC TEC will work with selected blue growth companies to rapidly prototype their technology. This will be used to quickly co-design the electronic and software components, and support the overall design with a scale model of a physical part or assembly using three-dimensional computer-aided design (CAD) data. Construction of the part or assembly will be delivered using 3D printing or "additive layer manufacturing" technology.
Contributions from INESC TEC to this will be made by the Centre for Robotics and Autonomous Systems (CRAS). CRAS conducts research and development activities in autonomous robotic systems, mobile robotics and mobile multi-robot systems for inspection, monitoring and mapping, with applications in security, power systems, environment, aquaculture, oceanography, marine biology, resource extraction, among other sectors. These activities are supported by the research in perception, navigation, control, localization, coordination, and automatic data collection and processing.
INESC TEC’s main objective in this project is the development of prototypes for the marine sector. EMERGE also provides 3D printing for plastic and resin.
Tank Testing
UCC will take forward the most promising blue growth technology companies to test at their onshore Ocean Test Facility in Ireland. This will use the previously developed prototypes (if relevant) or a scaled up version of the system provided by the client. Test will include reliability and survivability in a range of simulated conditions. INESC TEC also provides hyperbaric test capacity until 250 bar for devices with volumes until 1000 mm length and 230 mm diameter (when necessary). EMERGE also provides and hyperbaric test capacity until 300bar.
UCC is offering use of Lir National Ocean Test Facility for electrical rig testing and current and wave flume testing. Lir National Ocean Test Facility (NOTF) is a custom designed test facility that operates within MaREI and houses Ireland’s only infrastructure for small to medium scale laboratory testing of ocean and maritime systems. There are four tanks at various scales and depths for emulation of ocean waves, currents and wind. Lir NOTF also includes a variety of bench test rigs for electrical, power take off and mooring system testing along with a microgrid/on grid infrastructure for test of generation, control, power take off, storage, grid integration, power quality, subsea transmission and fault synthesis. The Lir NOTF research infrastructure allows for the wave-to-wire design of wind, wave and tidal renewable energy devices.
