Two motor boats, equipped with an autonomous navigation system (Serval-N project), were tested on the Pechora River near Naryan-Mar in the Nenets Autonomous Okrug (NAO). This was announced by the region's governor, Irina Gekht.
On the Pechora, a motor boat without a person on board delivered cargo from Naryan-Mar to Andeg and returned. Before departure, it was converted into an unmanned surface vessel right on site.
According to her, one of the boats covered 64 km in automatic mode. The small vessel moved at a speed of up to 40 km/h. During the tests, specialists checked the control, how the main and auxiliary mechanisms work in normal and abnormal modes, the governor added.
The "Serval-N" Project
The autonomous navigation system for USVs was developed by employees of the "Marine Technical Center" (MTC) and the company "Evolution of Marine Digital Technologies" as part of the experimental design work (OKR) "Creation of a universal navigation and propulsion system for an unmanned surface vessel with an electromechanical drive for an outboard motor," code name "Serval-N." The project is being implemented by order of the Department of Shipbuilding Industry of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation.
The "Serval-N" project is of interest to the NAO due to the low cost of converting a conventional vessel into an unmanned one, Gekht explained.
There is no need to build a special vessel from scratch: the technology allows converting an existing one using standard equipment. This reduces costs and brings autonomous navigation closer to practical application.
The NAO authorities believe that such vessels have great prospects. Vessels of the "Serval-N" project can be used for cargo delivery to hard-to-reach areas, environmental monitoring, and search and rescue operations, Gekht concluded.
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