Uncrewed Surface Vehicles (USV): from survey to shipping

Abstract

Autonomy and unmanned systems have evolved signifcantly in recent decades, becoming a key routine component for various sectors and domains as an intrinsic sign of their improvement, the ocean not being an exception. This paper shows the transition from the research concept to the commercial product and related services for Uncrewed Surface Vehicles (USV). Note that it has not always been easy in most cases due to limitations on the technology, business, and policy framework sides. An overview of current trends in USV technology looking for a baseline to understand the sector where some experiences of the authors are shown in this work. The analysis presented shows a multidisciplinary approach to the feld. USV’s capabilities and applications today include a wide range of operations and services aimed at meeting the specifc needs of the maritime sector. This important consideration for USV has yet to be fully addressed, but progress is being made to best contribute, among others, to the development and consolidation of the European Research Infrastructure (RI) on Marine Robotics (EUMR) where USV should play a key role.