BotBlox Supports Magnetic Remote Operated Vehicle Development

Remotion, a robotics company based in Norway specializing in ship hull maintenance, has integrated the GigaBlox small GigaBit switch from developer BotBlox into its advanced Magnetic Remote Operated Vehicles.

Remotion’s Magnetic Remote Operated Vehicles perform well in splash zones and withstand challenging hydrodynamic conditions with ease. These robots can be deployed directly on FPSO (Floating Production Storage and Offloading) units or platforms, without needing a separate support vessel.

Operating in waves up to 4.5m Hs, they enable close visual inspections with HD-quality imaging, habitat installation, surface treatment, non-destructive testing, and light construction tasks.

The Challenge Remotion Faced

Remotion’s current carrier robot, Helios, is substantial in size, measuring around 1x1m and weighing 270 kg. Recognizing the need for a smaller robot to handle lighter jobs, Remotion began developing a new robot, Proteus.

Proteus is significantly more compact, approximately 55x70cm, and weighs only 70 kg. It uses permanent magnets to adhere to the steel hull surface of ships. One key design challenge was managing space constraints within the robot.

The electronics module needed to be extremely compact, and finding a small switch to serve as the system’s backbone was essential.

BotBlox’s Contribution

With the GigaBlox small GigaBit switch, Remotion’s engineers successfully incorporated all required components into the enclosure. This switch was also more cost-effective than previous components.

Achieving the compact design the engineers envisioned would not have been possible with their previous components. Remotion aims to launch Proteus in 2024, capitalizing on the advantages offered by the GigaBlox solution.

The company also plans to incorporate GigaBlox into the Helios system to support a new camera system for similar reasons (compact, affordable, and easy to integrate) as with Proteus.

Additionally, the GigaBlox has proven highly reliable, showing no failures, which strengthens its role in Remotion’s future robotics projects.