Demeter

Demeter uses energy-harvesting, intelligent, uncrewed vehicles to provide a persistent, infrastructure-independent subsea sensor data retrieval and analysis service. It is a compelling alternative to CAPEX-heavy fixed power and communication networks that would otherwise be required to support the widespread use of subsea sensors and systems for long-term monitoring of asset health, thus accelerating subsea digitalisation. Demeter will enable more cost-effective predictive maintenance of subsea assets, greatly reduce OPEX and downtime, and ultimately lower the cost and environmental impact of exploiting renewable and non-renewable offshore resources alike. Downstream, Demeter has further application in maritime security operations, including maritime surveillance.

Key innovations include: long-endurance, energy-harvesting, hybrid underwater and surface autonomous vehicles; an onboard edge-processing module based on a novel computer architecture, capable of performing intensive statistical analysis of harvested sensor data at a fraction of the power of current technologies; a technology stack for high-integrity long-term autonomous navigation and decision making; and embedded subsea sensors adapted for data retrieval by the autonomous vehicles. As an integrated solution, Demeter aims to shift the subsea monitoring paradigm from one of manual, expensive, and low-frequency _data_ retrieval to that of automated, inexpensive, high frequency and on-demand _intelligence_ retrieval. Suitably evolved, Demeter will open up entirely new concepts of operation for maritime security that are not currently feasible.

The project brings together a diverse set of partners to deliver a game-changing capability: Autonomous Devices, a specialist developer of robotic solutions for extreme and challenging environments; Signaloid, developers of a paradigm-shifting computer architecture for edge computing; D-RisQ, developers of a unique technology stack for the implementation of high integrity autonomous behaviours; CRP Subsea, developers of advanced subsea infrastructure monitoring and engineering products; autonomous mission planning experts from Royal Holloway University of London; autonomous navigation experts from the University of Manchester; and novel marine vehicle design, analysis and testing experts from the University of Strathclyde.