Yanmar Holdings and Sony have established a new joint venture, Yanmar Blue Tech, to work on underwater sensing and robotics technologies, with an initial focus on developing remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) for hull cleaning.
The company, 90% owned by Yanmar, aims to address growing regulatory and environmental pressures surrounding biofouling and greenhouse gas emissions from shipping through the development of a high-pressure water jet ROV, incorporating a debris collection system capable of filtering organic material at the micrometre level.
Sony will contribute imaging and sensing technologies to improve underwater performance, including global-shutter image sensors, image processing for high-turbidity environments, and real-time self-positioning systems.
The companies claim that the integration of these technologies will provide improved underwater visibility, 3D mapping, and autonomous positioning to support hull-cleaning operations.
“Our customers have expressed strong interest in advanced ROV technologies, and we believe this collaboration will play an important role in addressing marine challenges,” said Eiji Michigami, Chief Technology Officer at Yanmar Holdings.
“Together, we will contribute to marine environmental conservation and the growth of sustainable industries.”
Yanmar Blue Tech says it will also explore applications in underwater inspection and ecosystem monitoring as part of future research programmes.
