Subsea Gadgets and Widgets

14 June 2006 Aberdeen Branch Evening Meeting

Chairman Ian Edwards, ITI Energy
Sponsored by ITI Energy

Evening meeting report by David Liddle

Flyer

Big boys' toys or useful tools—there is no getting away from the fact that our industry revolves around a miscellany of underwater high technology gadgets and widgets that help make everything happen in the world of underwater exploration. This meeting saw some of the latest developments that makes our industry tick, tock, whirr, shake, rattle and roll!

Presentations

Funding Early Stage Technology

Ian Edwards, ITI Energy

Ian gave a quick overview of ITI Energy, explaining why the company was established, how much money is available, where ITI Energy sits in the development cycle, and showed a few current example projects.

Electronics in Oil and TA70 Manipulator

David Gillies, Perry Slingsby Systems Limited

Perry Slingsby presented its latest 'wire free' hybrid feedback manipulator control system and the innovative TA70 robotic arm. The underlying electronics-in-oil control technology has application from manipulators to pipe crawlers to platform ballast systems.

IMPROVISER: Self-Adjusting Intelligent Class 1 to 4 Torque Tool

Alan Duncan, ImpROV Ltd

This presentation was on the IMPROVISER Self-Adjusting Intelligent Class 1 to 4 Torque Tool. This tool enables ROVs to complete multiple tasks in a single dive by eliminating the requirement to recover the vehicle to the surface to change end effecters or motors.

Micro Sensors For ROVs

Maurice Fraser, Tritech International Limited

A presentation on the latest range of sonars, altimeters, modems and laser scaling aids.

Magic Moments

Matt Blair, CD Limited

MiniSpool—ROV integrated navigation, guidance and measurement package—has been in use for more than 4 years as a high accuracy seabed metrology package, but the original concept was as an AUV navigation sensor suite. Given the performance and depth demands now being made on ROVs, it is time to reconsider it as a complete proven ROV navigation, guidance and measurement package.

Thin Jack™: Revolutionary Jacking and Separating Technology

Alastair MacDonald, Industrial Solutions International Ltd

Thin Jack™ is a millimetric thin jacking and separating system, capable of exerting hundreds of tonnes of force.