Industrial Autonomy
Applied research and development
Rising to the challenge
Faced with rising global demand for sustainable salmon stocks, Norway has committed to significantly increasing annual production levels. In order to do so, all segments of the supply chain must adapt and improve.
Eidsvaag AS has been delivering to fish farms along the Norwegian coast for over 30 years. As part of the FjordFrende collaboration, Eidsvaag has a reputation for innovation and forward thinking investment.
Thinking ahead
Anticipating the need for increased capacity, Eidsvaag management made a significant investment in the conversion of the Eidsvaag Opal from an offshore supply vessel to a modern feed carrier with both bulk and FIBC (“big bag”) cargo capacity.
The unique vessel design presented both a challenge and an opportunity for crane manufacturer Aukra Maritime AS. With more than 25 years experience developing custom lifting and handling solutions for the maritime industry, Aukra Maritime was uniquely qualified to propose a new crane design that could operate both inside and outside the vessel's cargo hold.
Referred to as a “roller track crane”, the RTC 30 crane can reach a large area on the quayside and each corner of the cargo hold. When installed in parallel, two cranes can operate simultaneously, increasing throughput.
Why "autonomy"?
In an industrial or process context, autonomy refers to the capacity for machines to make real-time decisions in an open environment. This capability goes beyond pre-programmed automation methods to deliver increased throughput, reduced downtime and improved safety by embedding intelligence in edge devices.
Responding to the unforseen
Predictable environments are well suited to pre-programmed control architectures, as long as they don't change. The real world is constantly changing, in ways that are hard to predict.
Over time, tolerances change, parts are swapped out, new obstacles appear, all without any regard for our documented prerequisites.
Under pressure
Facing global demand for greater output puts pressure on supply chains. Innovators know to look around the corner and over the horizon.
Fish feed producers and their maritime logistics partners work together to do reduce environmental impact. Loading cargo quickly and safely means measurable reductions in fuel consumption. Increased precision for each cargo handling operation results in higher throughput and lower risk.
Aiming higher to reach further
Aukra Maritime teamed up with Eidsvaag and Itonomi to find the limits of what is possible.
The goal? To demonstrate a fully autonomous crane control system in a realistic environment.
True innovation requires a willingness to take risks and work together to solve new challenges on the fly.
Research. Applied
The purpose of research is not just to find new theoretical possibilities.
We work with researchers and industrial operators to
bring ideas out of the lab and into the real world.
How will embedded intelligence improve your operations?
Our approach
Strategic Analysis
We start by defining knowns and unknowns.
Clear goals
Observability is our top priority from day one. Every detail is important and we don't hide any of them.
Use the best tool
When all you have is a hammer, everything starts looking like a nail. We have many tools in our toolbox.
Doing is learning
True intelligence is environment-specific, the more we can learn directly the better.
