European research institute to acquire NOC underwater robots

The Madeira Island research agency ARDITI acquires two advanced autonomous underwater vehicles from the UK's NOC to enhance marine research, supporting data collection and ocean exploration off Portugal.

A leading European research, technology and innovation organisation has chosen cutting edge underwater robotics from the UK’s National Oceanography Centre (NOC) to help advance its marine research capabilities.

The agreement will see Madeira Island’s Regional Agency for the Development of Research, Technology and Innovation, ARDITI, acquire two NOC Autosub Long Range (ALR) autonomous underwater vehicles, for use in ocean science offshore Portugal and beyond.

NOC’s ALRs have been developed to a high level of capability, autonomy and endurance for nearly three decades by the centre’s world leading engineering and robotics teams.

They are able to significantly advance ocean research supporting unprecedented data collection capabilities, from mapping to marine biogeochemical sensing, down to 6,000 m water depth over durations from multiple weeks to months.

To date, ALRs have been available for use by the UK marine science community. Agreements with overseas science organisations such as ARDITI opens their use to the international marine science community, but also helps to further develop the vehicles’ capabilities and availability, through funding and collaboration.

Dr Alex Phillips, head of the Marine Autonomous and Robotic Systems (MARS) Group at NOC, says, “We have been developing Autosub AUVs for the past 30 years to support the UK science community make measurements in the Ocean.

“The ALR, with its multi-month endurance and proven ability to operate without the need for a research vessel, is major advance in our capabilities. It is very exciting to be able to provide access to this technology to the broader global marine science community.”

Madeira Island is uniquely placed to explore the deep ocean. The island is in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, 1,000 km southwest of Lisbon, on mainland Portugal. It’s waters quickly deepen to around 1,000 m within just 10 km of the shoreline, and go to beyond 3,000 m water depth beyond 15 km.

Rui Caldeira, Principal Scientist, at ARDITI, says, “At ARDITI, we’re at the forefront of promoting research, technological development and innovation in Madeira Island. With NOC underwater vehicles, we’re pleased to expand our capabilities, leveraging their compact size, endurance and modularity for applications from coastal monitoring and seabed mapping to full water column oceanographic data gathering. 

“The data they gather will support our and our partners’ research and help regional and national governments enforce EU Directives. Combined with uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) and traditional ships, they will also help to make Madeira Island an attractive ultra-deep-sea location for testing for international partners."

NOC’s ALRs have been built to be operated on a common, open-source operating system, which makes them ideally suited to any marine science organisations keen to fast-track their marine observation and monitoring capabilities.

The system removes the major learning curve that can be involved in adopting new technologies or robotics, with the vehicles having the flexibility to adopt a huge array of sensors which have already been integrated into the platform. 

Both of ARDITI’s vehicles will come with an impressive full suite of sensors. One will be 1,500 m rated and focused on the oceanography and biogeochemistry of the water column. The second will be 6,000 m rated and focused on seabed mapping.

The agreement, through agency Casco Antiguo, will see the MARS group support ARDITI’s in-house robotics capabilities growth, while they will also bring insight into the wider ALR technology eco-system as it continues to advance.

The ALRs have been developed by NOC, in part funded through the UK's Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), and made available for use by the UK marine science community through NERC's National Marine Equipment Pool (NMEP).

The acquisition by ARDITI comes as NOC is also building additional vehicles for its own fleet, owned and operated by NOC, in addition to those already available for use by UK marine research organisations. By the end of 2026, there will be a total of eight ALRs at NOC, with four residing in the NMEP.