SubBlue Robotics joins the StartUp Hub
SubBlue Robotics joined the Odense Robotics StartUp Hub at the Danish Technological Institute this month. Co-founder and CTO Michael Blom Hermansen explains how their underwater drone can autonomously polish and clean ship propellers with the use of its attached robot arm, thereby saving fuel and reducing resources. Michael also describes what the startup hopes to achieve during their time in the Hub.
Can you describe your technology and why it’s unique?
The SubBlue Robotics robot performs high-quality propeller polish efficiently and safely by using intelligent underwater drones. Today this job is conducted by divers – a job with many restrictions and one that is also highly dangerous. By automating this job, we keep employees safe and avoid unnecessary restrictions.
Due to the ocean environment, propellers degrade (corrosion, algae, mechanical damages etc.) with time, which means ships then need to use more fuel than they should. By avoiding diving restrictions, ship owners can ensure a higher maintenance standard, while also using less fuel. Our technology is inspired by similar products within hull maintenance, but the same robotics tech can’t be applied to propeller polish due to the complexity of a propeller, which is finer and requires more power when in use. The underwater drone’s robot arm incorporates and simulates actual polishing techniques that divers use.
Why did you apply to join the Hub and what do you hope to achieve during your stay?
There’s a long array of benefits that come with being in the StartUp Hub, but the technical robotics expertise offered by the Hub was one of the biggest draws. As part of the Hub, we hope to gain new insights into robotics development and accelerate the development of our drone solution. We especially hope to enhance the sturdiness of our product.
During our time in the StartUp Hub, we also look forward to utilising the Hub’s business development experts and expanding our network – hopefully also meeting potential investors.
What’s your greatest challenges and opportunities?
Our testing so far has been successful, but we need to do more testing with ships. When polishing propellers at harbours, they require documentation that the scraped off materials will be removed from the harbour to avoid pollution, which provides a challenge. Another challenge lies in improving the sturdiness of our product in order for us to scale in the future.
One of our greatest opportunities is the market demand and the fact that the maritime industry is open to the automation of processes. The chance to enhance employee safety by transferring the polishing job from divers to underwater drones is another great opportunity for us.
How did your company start and who is part of the team today?
My colleague Don Clausen Evers and I first started talking about SubBlue Robotics in 2016, while we were students at DTU in Lyngby. Don was the one to come up with the idea and we often joke about how the people he presented his idea to before me laughed at it, while I laughed at them once I heard about his idea, which I knew would be big. Our market analysis soon showed us the demand for an underwater drone for propeller polish and we then developed the idea together.
Don has a background in the maritime industry and shipping, which is where he got the idea of underwater robotics tech for propeller polish. He knew that hull maintenance was conducted by robots, but propellers were still polished by divers.
Previous Maersk VP Anders Koksbang joined our team a few years ago and helms our business development, and together we make up the SubBlue Robotics team with Don as CEO and me as CTO.
Learn more about SubBlue Robotics here.
Want to know more about the StartUp Hub?
Learn more about the Odense Robotics StartUp Hub here
or contact:
Peter Smedegaard, Business Development Manager, Startups, Odense Robotics
Phone: +45 92 82 52 02, mail: psm@odenserobotics.dk