The underwater industry is an important part of several countries in the world, including wind energy, oil and gas, food, pharma, mining, and bio- and geo- science. Responsible and environmentally-friendly growth of economies calls for automation of monitoring to prevent unexpected energy blackouts, oil and gas spills, and pollution from food, pharma, and mining. This in turn requires the development of reliable artificial intelligence (AI) for underwater robotics.
We believe there is a gap between what the underwater robotics industry delivers today and the required levels of reliability and autonomy. Two interrelated reasons for this gap are the lack of reliable AI methods for submarine operations and the lack of AI-ready reliability assessment methods for risks. This gap creates career opportunities for a new generation of experts who understand both the challenges of underwater robotics and development methods for safe and reliable autonomy.