Sealartec has developed a robot to launch and control unmanned craft
July 1, 2020
A wireless and optical sensor system, a unique algorithm and a precise capture technique allow the Haifa company to automatically perform an operation that now requires considerable effort and sacrifice. Elbit is a strategic investor in the company
Pictured above: A "trapped" robotic experiment boat inside the SLRTC-35 robotic cradle
Sealartec successfully completed a complete trial of a revolutionary robotic system for launching and quarrying (Launch & Recovery) unmanned marine vessels. The experiments took place in recent weeks in the Haifa Bay area, during which the technological fishermen succeeded in carrying out the automatic process of launching and controlling harsh sea conditions and traffic. The experiments were carried out using the research vessel of the Institute for Days and Lakes Research. Silartec was founded in 2018 and operates under the Elbit Incubit Incubator.
The system overcomes one of the most difficult problems in the operation of various marine robots, including robotic vessels: launching and collecting them is a difficult process, which has failed many times and due to accidents and casualties. The company has developed a unique concept that allows this operation to be done automatically, efficiently and without endangering the crew members on the ship. The company was founded by CEO Amitai Peleg and Chief Technologist Alon Cohen, who have been working on the concept from home since 2015. Both are Technion graduates and specialize in marine engineering.
The EU has tried to cope with the challenge - and failed
In an interview with Techtime, Peleg's CEO said he had been battling this issue for many years. After being released from the Navy, he was part of Raphael's unmanned vessel development team, Protector. Amitai: "In the Navy, I was involved in the loading and unloading of boats, and in Raphael I was the first driver of the The protector. Already then there was a problem in lifting and lowering the boat. In 2015, I found that the EU had set up a € 3 million consortium to solve the problem, but they failed. It gave me the urge to formulate the idea that I developed over time. "
At the end of 2015, he joined Elon Cohen and the two of them built an initial fish house that performed successfully in the Technion's experimental canal (a sort of marine equivalent to an aviation wind tunnel). Following the success of the experiments, they registered a patent for their solution to the problem, and as investors began to look for Elbit, they jumped at the opportunity and joined them in the greenhouse it manages, investing it on the assumption that technology has advantages for itself, given its growing maritime market.
Company Founders: Chief Technologist Alon Cohen (right) and CEO Amitai Pelegmei Founders: Chief Technologist Alon Cohen (right) and CEO Amitai Peleg
The company's technology is based on the use of a floating crib, which is pre-attached to the mother ship. The crib has a catch mechanism that can grab the boat's bow and pull it. The main challenge is scheduling: because in sea-wave conditions, the two vessels move in 6 axes with respect to each other, the collection and launch process can only be carried out at a very precise and precise point.
Silartech's system includes an array of RF sensors and optical sensors that, together with a company's dedicated algorithm, identify the position and mutual motion of the two vessels. The company defines the system as Local Positioning System. When the algorithm detects a suitable state for capture, it sends the command to an industrial controller which activates the mechanical mechanism of capture.
What is your target market?
Peleg: "We started with the intention of focusing on the problem of operating unmanned vessels, but as we worked it became clear that the operations of unmanned vessels also suffered from many difficulties, accidents and casualties. Each time a small boat interface has to be intercepted by a large ship in the sea, there is A lot of hardship because each of these bodies moves differently. Our system can cater for this whole market. Any ship that has a crane and a small boat can connect to our system and thus solve the problem. "
He says the company is already preparing for the next phase: It has begun initial capital raising contacts and is in contact with eight different marine entities in the world, which have already sought technology demonstrations, as a first step before developing a tailor-made solution for them.
https://techtime.co.il/2020/07/01/sealartec/
July 1, 2020
A wireless and optical sensor system, a unique algorithm and a precise capture technique allow the Haifa company to automatically perform an operation that now requires considerable effort and sacrifice. Elbit is a strategic investor in the company
Pictured above: A "trapped" robotic experiment boat inside the SLRTC-35 robotic cradle
Sealartec successfully completed a complete trial of a revolutionary robotic system for launching and quarrying (Launch & Recovery) unmanned marine vessels. The experiments took place in recent weeks in the Haifa Bay area, during which the technological fishermen succeeded in carrying out the automatic process of launching and controlling harsh sea conditions and traffic. The experiments were carried out using the research vessel of the Institute for Days and Lakes Research. Silartec was founded in 2018 and operates under the Elbit Incubit Incubator.
The system overcomes one of the most difficult problems in the operation of various marine robots, including robotic vessels: launching and collecting them is a difficult process, which has failed many times and due to accidents and casualties. The company has developed a unique concept that allows this operation to be done automatically, efficiently and without endangering the crew members on the ship. The company was founded by CEO Amitai Peleg and Chief Technologist Alon Cohen, who have been working on the concept from home since 2015. Both are Technion graduates and specialize in marine engineering.
The EU has tried to cope with the challenge - and failed
In an interview with Techtime, Peleg's CEO said he had been battling this issue for many years. After being released from the Navy, he was part of Raphael's unmanned vessel development team, Protector. Amitai: "In the Navy, I was involved in the loading and unloading of boats, and in Raphael I was the first driver of the The protector. Already then there was a problem in lifting and lowering the boat. In 2015, I found that the EU had set up a € 3 million consortium to solve the problem, but they failed. It gave me the urge to formulate the idea that I developed over time. "
At the end of 2015, he joined Elon Cohen and the two of them built an initial fish house that performed successfully in the Technion's experimental canal (a sort of marine equivalent to an aviation wind tunnel). Following the success of the experiments, they registered a patent for their solution to the problem, and as investors began to look for Elbit, they jumped at the opportunity and joined them in the greenhouse it manages, investing it on the assumption that technology has advantages for itself, given its growing maritime market.
Company Founders: Chief Technologist Alon Cohen (right) and CEO Amitai Pelegmei Founders: Chief Technologist Alon Cohen (right) and CEO Amitai Peleg
The company's technology is based on the use of a floating crib, which is pre-attached to the mother ship. The crib has a catch mechanism that can grab the boat's bow and pull it. The main challenge is scheduling: because in sea-wave conditions, the two vessels move in 6 axes with respect to each other, the collection and launch process can only be carried out at a very precise and precise point.
Silartech's system includes an array of RF sensors and optical sensors that, together with a company's dedicated algorithm, identify the position and mutual motion of the two vessels. The company defines the system as Local Positioning System. When the algorithm detects a suitable state for capture, it sends the command to an industrial controller which activates the mechanical mechanism of capture.
What is your target market?
Peleg: "We started with the intention of focusing on the problem of operating unmanned vessels, but as we worked it became clear that the operations of unmanned vessels also suffered from many difficulties, accidents and casualties. Each time a small boat interface has to be intercepted by a large ship in the sea, there is A lot of hardship because each of these bodies moves differently. Our system can cater for this whole market. Any ship that has a crane and a small boat can connect to our system and thus solve the problem. "
He says the company is already preparing for the next phase: It has begun initial capital raising contacts and is in contact with eight different marine entities in the world, which have already sought technology demonstrations, as a first step before developing a tailor-made solution for them.
https://techtime.co.il/2020/07/01/sealartec/
