The OceanLab Subsea node (node1) AUR-Lab - the Applied Underwater Robotics Lab represent a system of infrastructure to facilitate research projects to address knowledge based and sustainable development of the blue economy by providing facilities for integrated full-scale research, education and development.

The infrastructure to be realized within OceanLab will be connected to the existing infrastructure of NTNU and SINTEF. The subsea node will be tightly integrated to the AUR-Lab organization also taking advantage of the existing assets in the lab.

Infrastructure:

• Remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Minerva
• AUVs (Autonomous Underwater Vehicle)
• SDP (Subsea Docking Plate)
• PLM (Pig Loop Module)
• TBS (Trondheim Biological Station)
• RV Gunnerus (Research Vessel)

Further, the following components will be developed in Node 1:

• Instrument rig for SDP
• Instrument rig for PLM and Umbilical for PLM module
• Upgrade for ROV Minerva II
• Eelume vehicle
• Control room

NTNU Social Research centre CIRiS  (Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Space) is working with us on the development of the control room.

The Node 1 components will constitute a platform for research, innovation and qualification of technology related to underwater activities. A principle of system thinking will be applied through integration of disciplines such as cybernetics, robotics, informatics, operations analysis, marine biology, oceanography, aquaculture and environmental sciences. These can be grouped in three research areas:

1. Underwater operations
2. Underwater robotics
3. Marine science

Within underwater operations, suggested research topics, projects and themes relevant for OceanLab include validation and verification, safety and risk, environmental monitoring, heterogenous networks and instrumentation.

For underwater robotics, research topics explored at OceanLab could include machine vision, dynamic systems, navigation, communication, autonomy and cyber-physical systems.

Marine science will benefit from the subsea node on two axes: 1) more observation of the Trondheimfjord, and 2) technology development for mapping and monitoring of the marine environment.

The subsea node will be part of the overall measurement system for the Trondheimfjord, documenting the marine processes of physical drivers and their biological response in this area, allowing better understanding of the interplay in the sea. The infrastructure in OceanLab will also contribute to development of new technology for observing the ocean.