Robots that look like sea creatures or penguins packed with state-of-the-art technology are collecting large amounts of data underwater. This was previously only possible with great effort. They are also increasingly being used to detect acts of sabotage.
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00:00It might look like any other manta ray, but it's actually quite different.
00:07This one contains high-tech equipment.
00:11There's the fin steering, of course, but also an underwater modem.
00:15There are radio and Wi-Fi communication interfaces.
00:19And there are networking solutions for ocean monitoring.
00:24So far, this manta ray is just a prototype that shows off some of the company's capabilities.
00:30If you take a fish and apply pressure to its flank, it pushes back.
00:38What we have here is a very special construction, where, too, when you apply pressure, the wing
00:43changes its shape due to the movement of its, let's say, fishbone.
00:49We love the beauty of nature, its forms, its aesthetics, and the functionality behind
00:55it all.
00:57But it's not as an end in itself.
01:00There's a technical purpose for everything.
01:04These appliances are shaped to be extremely dynamic.
01:09They have a very low drag in water.
01:13It uses very little energy to move ahead.
01:16It's also extremely quiet.
01:19Now, looking at communication technology, we're taking inspiration from dolphins and
01:26we're getting a very robust data connection.
01:29And it's all very environmentally friendly.
01:35And this is the company's bestseller, Sonobot, a small catamaran.
01:40It's being used at Berlin's Museum Island today.
01:43The catamaran is using sonar to detect whether water levels here have changed since the new
01:48subway line was built here a year earlier.
01:51It's important information, not least for shipping companies active on Berlin's waterways.
01:56The catamaran's onboard computer uses AI and can even help locate lost items.
02:03Here we can see the depth values.
02:05Like here, it's a bit lighter, which means it's a bit deeper.
02:08Where it's red here, the water is pretty shallow, between two and four meters deep.
02:15Sonobot makes for easy surveying.
02:18The job used to require larger boats with big crews.
02:25They had knots on a rope and would let it down to see how deep the water is.
02:31But in the time it took them to navigate the boat to the next stop, we're pretty much done
02:36with the whole job.
02:40We're a lot more flexible and faster.
02:46These days, Evologix has around 100 employees and builds one or two Sonobots per day.
02:52For between 100 and 500,000 euros, depending on their configuration.
02:58Industrial clients from 65 countries use them when building dams, offshore wind parks, bridges
03:04or to check on pipelines.
03:06They're also used in harbors to keep an eye on critical infrastructure.
03:15Of course we're working within a framework of geopolitical and geostrategical developments.
03:21There are special challenges in the Black Sea, the South China Sea, with China, Russia,
03:26that involve maritime solutions.
03:30Maritime safety is a big topic and we have to deal with it here in Germany and Europe
03:34too.
03:41And this one is supposed to help with those challenges.
03:46The Quadroin, a maritime robot inspired by penguins.
03:52Unlike Sonobot, it can dive and collect maritime and environmental data from great depths.
04:03It can be steered by remote control or travel autonomously.
04:12It's another high-tech solution that's gaining interest in industry, but also with police
04:17and even the military.