Page 14 - Industrial Technology EXTRA - 15th June 2020

CABLE MANAGEMENT...

Autonomous surface vehicles

Igus helps autonomous vehicles get to the bottom of ocean discovery

s scientists delve into the study of climate selected for the project due to their ability to
change, new strategies and products are withstand the harmful effects of saltwater and their
evolving to help them uncover data that is extended life cycle when compared to components
Adriving the world’s foremost crisis. The made with steel.
scientific community is obtaining significant “The reality of self-driving cars is on the horizon,
information from international oceans, especially and we have autonomous surface vehicles, like the
with the support of autonomous surface vehicles. Saildrone, that are doing amazing things,” says
Igus provided data cables and energy chains to Noah Lawrence-Slavas, an engineer with NOAA.
support a recent assignment in ocean exploration. “These vehicles are crossing oceans by themselves,
The United States-based National Oceanic and operating in the worst ocean environments. They
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) used two have the potential to revolutionise both how and
autonomous surface vehicles, called Saildrones, to what we are able to learn about the ocean.”
compare information collected from a noise-reduced Autonomous surface vehicles (ASV) and
research vessel. Components from Igus were subsurface vehicles (AUV) are being incorporated

June 2020 • INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY EXTRA! • p14