Project name: Unmanned system for maritime security and environmental monitoring
Project acronym: MORUS
Dates: 01.04.2015 - 28.02.2019
Total budget: 834,929.00 EUR
Funding: NATO Science for Peace
Grant Agreement number: 984807
website: www.fer.unizg.hr/morus
MORUS
The main goal of the MORUS project is the design and development of a fully operational complex robotic system prototype comprised of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and an Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV) capable of autonomous and cooperative mission executions related to environmental, border and port security.
The proposed research is part of an internationally competitive field, with the main objective to design and develop an autonomous aerial and marine robotic system which is capable of collective engagement in missions taking place in dynamic and nondeterministic environments.
MORUS objectives are summarised as follows:
- Design and construction of an UAV with docking and transportation mechanisms,
- Visual-feedback-based docking and gripping algorithm,
- Design of an augmented-reality and easy to operate human-machine interface for simultaneous control of aerial and marine robots,
- Enhancement of the autonomous navigation capabilities and operational supportability in remote locations with little or no local support,
- Agile UUV redeployment through cooperation with an UAV,
- Data exchange between the UUV and UAV through cooperative control and estimation.
Project partners:
- Laboratory for Robotics and Intelligent Control Systems, University of Zagreb, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing
- University of Limerick
- University of Sarajevo, Faculty of Electrical Engineering
- Laboratory for Underwater Systems and Technologies, University of Zagreb, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing
- University of Dubrovnik
NATO Science for Peace project “MORUS – Unmanned systems for maritime security and environmental monitoring” starts in 2015. The project's duration is 36 months and the partners are UNIZG-FER (LARICS and LABUST), University of Limerick (Marine Robotics Research Centre), University of Sarajevo (Faculty of Electrical Engineering) and University of Dubrovnik. The main goal of the MORUS project is to design and produce a prototype of a fully operational robotic system comprised of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and an Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV).
The system, equipped with various sensors and cameras, will be able to operate in the marine environment where it will obtain simultaneous data and images of surface and underwater areas in coastal and off-shore zones that are of a particular security interest to relevant civil and military authories. MORUS will be the world’s first robotic system that allows the autonomous transport, deployment, operation, and recovery of a UUV combined with a UAV. This capability will significantly enlarge the theater of operation for UUVs, compared with today's capabilities.