ROSM - Robotic Oil Spill Mitigations

Abstract

The overall aim of the ROSM project is the implementation of an innovative solution based on heterogeneous autonomous vehicles to tackle maritime pollution (in particular, oil spills). These solutions will be based on native microbial consortia with bioremediation capacity, and the adaptation of air and surface autonomous vehicles for in-situ release of autochthonous microorganisms (bioaugmentation) and nutrients (biostimulation). By doing so, these systems can be used as the first line of the responder to pollution incidents from several origins that may occur inside ports, around industrial and extraction facilities, or during transport activities, in a fast, efficient and low-cost way. The paper will address the development of a team of autonomous vehicles able to carry, as payload, native organisms to naturally degrade oil spills (avoiding the introduction of additional chemical or biological additives), the development of a multi-robot system able to provide a first line responses to oil spill incidents under unfavourable and harsh conditions with low human intervention, and then a decentralized cooperative planning with the ability to coordinate an efficient oil spill combat. Field tests have been performed in Leixões Harbour in Porto and Medas, Portugal, with a simulated oil spill and validated the decentralized coordinated task between the autonomous surface vehicle (ASV) ROAZ and the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).