Bosch Rexroth develops and tests new features supporting autonomous docking of offshore access systems

Laser systems, cameras and motion reference units: Bosch Rexroth is developing and testing new features that will make future offshore access systems and other applications safer and more efficient.

• Increasing window of operation, efficiency and safety 
• Application of sensors and cameras for autonomous docking procedures
• Extensive tests performed at sea on existing offshore gangway

Aiming at minimizing possible risks that can result from manual operation of offshore access systems, Bosch Rexroth is at the forefront of developing new features for autonomous offshore operations. In close cooperation with specialists at Bosch Corporate Research center in Renningen, Germany, various (add-on) systems, calculation and processing methods and other additional features are being developed and tested at sea.

“These features are aiming at widening the window of operation, that is limited by challenging weather conditions offshore” said Maarten Kuijpers, head of project engineering department at Bosch Rexroth. “These innovative features also support future motion compensation demands like docking onto floating wind turbines, or ship-to-ship transfer of goods and people”.

Applying radar, LIDAR, camera’s and motion reference units for retrieving data, connected to smart software systems that are using smart sensor fusing algorithms and machine learning, offshore access systems will see and learn their relative position to the docking area. Feeding this input into a gangway’s control system will enable future offshore access systems to autonomously find, approach and dock in exactly the right spot, under the harshest of offshore circumstances. 

 By collaborating with the Bosch departments, Rexroth is able to make use of the Group’s latest technological developments in sensors and software. For testing however the company reached out to other parties. “Innovations like these are best tested in real life” Kuijpers continues. “For this reason we are very lucky that offshore operator Vroon has offered us this opportunity. Their VOS Start, the world’s first ‘Walk-To-Work’ vessel, has a Barge Master next-generation gangway on board, which was for this occasion equipped with the required cameras and sensors.”