SpaceApps selects PrismTech’s Vortex OpenSplice to support undersea operations with ROVs

Space Applications Services (SpaceApps) has chosen PrismTech’s Vortex OpenSplice for the DexROV project, which aims to futher the development of undersea operations with remotely operated vehicles (ROV).

DexROV is a platform of seven European organisations coordinated by SpaceApps, and has been funded by the European Commission (EC) under its H2020 Blue Growth Initiative.

The project is also using and evaluating new technologies to allow safer, more cost-effective undersea operations with ROVs.

DexROV seeks to perform dexterous undersea ROV operations with the newly selected Vortex OpenSplice technology, which is a commercial and open-source implementation of Object Management Group’s (OMG) Data-Distribution Service (DDS) standard software.

Vortex OpenSplice also enables very low bandwidth network connectivity information sharing between the ROV, satellite and piloting centres.

Space Applications Services robotics software engineer Shashank Govindaraj said: “PrismTech’s Vortex Innovator Programme has allowed us to use Vortex OpenSplice on our project.

“We have been very satisfied with the low latency communications and quality of service that Vortex OpenSplice has been able to deliver to the project.”

DexROV project also aims to reduce the costs, hazards, and number of offshore personnel needed in underwater operations in the fields of energy, communications infrastructure, science, archaeology and shipwreck recovery.

It intends to achieve this by enabling and maximising delocalised supervision capabilities for deep-sea inspection and maintenance work.

The project also seeks to move control of ROVs to shore and overcome the latency involved between onshore control centres and ROVs through autonomous operations. It further aims to develop advanced dexterous tools with the capacity to grip and manipulate in ways similar to a human hand.

The results of DexROV are set to be demonstrated during a series of test campaigns in a 1,300m deep representative trial in the Mediterranean Sea.