5/15/2023 0 Comments Hugin 2015![]() ![]() With Statoil on board, development gained speed. We sold it as an untethered, remotely operated submarine. We didn’t sell it as an autonomous submarine. “We had to be conscious of how we described it. He says they “downplayed” the technology to overcome the scepticism. They probably viewed the AUV technology as a threat”, Størkersen recalls. “At great depths, the cable is so long that it becomes difficult to maintain an acceptable speed through the water. ![]() They used what is referred to as ‘Remotely operated underwater vehicles’ (ROVs), where communication with the surface and power supply are provided via a cable. If we were to contribute to mapping an area in half the time, this would provide Statoil with a good argument for supporting our technology”, says Størkersen.Īt the time, the environment and the companies involved in seafloor mapping were sceptical. “Mapping was a cost driver, involving large ships and crews. There is a shortage of the technology used to map deep sea areas with the quality and effectiveness required by the offshore industry. Here, the seafloor is up to 1500 metres below sea level. Oil exploration has just been permitted on the Vøring Plateau in the sea outside Nordland County. It turns out that the cup of coffee FFI offers Statoil in 1993, is a very well-timed cup. Thoresen and Størkersen look to the offshore industry. Since the funding from the Norwegian Armed Forces has stopped, FFI needs a new cooperation partner. And it is still a long way to go until such a submarine is fully developed and ready to be manufactured and purchased by the Norwegian Armed Forces. The Norwegian Armed Forces has reservations about spending more money on development. Simply put, the new vehicle needed to be tetherless.ĭuring a demonstration in May 1993, AUV Demo swims 109 nautical miles in Skagerrak with only “a few mishaps”, as it is stated in the report at the time.ĭespite a successful demonstration – the funding stops after this. ![]() A tether would have slowed down the submarine so much that the concept wouldn’t have worked”, says Størkersen. This meant we couldn’t have a tether fastened to the submarine. “We needed 20 litres of seawater to pass through the battery every second in order for it to produce enough power to propel the vehicle through the water. As the word suggests, it uses seawater as the oxidizing agent. The battery FFI used in AUV Demo was a seawater battery. He has been the project manager for the development of Hugin and has followed the submarine from the idea stage to a finished commercial product. The very first miniature model from Bøletjern is today sitting in Nils Størkersen’s office. With the funds from the Intelligence Staff, they develop AUV Demo (Autonomous Underwater Vehicle) – a shiny yellow test submarine, and a system to transmit control commands down to the submarine using acoustic communication (noise signals). Three years earlier, Thoresen has managed to convince the Intelligence Staff at the Norwegian High Command to grant funds to make an attempt.įFI researchers have created a new saltwater battery that can power a mini submarine for 1200 nautical miles – i.e., from Oslo to Alta. ![]() However, by the late 1980s, battery technology has become so advanced that it is possible to try. This idea has been difficult to sell, both with management at FFI and in the Norwegian Armed Forces. Can a submarine be created that operates independently in the deep sea? That can map the seafloor, search for mines, conduct espionage or warfare entirely on its own or remotely operated from a ship? At this time, in the early 1990s, there are already a number of small submarines in use, but these receive power and control signals via a cable that runs to a ship on the surface. ![]()
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