Live Oftedal/NTNU The new drone is considered the world’s best autonomous underwater vehicle and can be used both to improve our understanding of the ocean and to strengthen defence capabilities. NTNU will contribute to the further development of the drone. At the Nordic Defence and Security Conference, a group including the Minister of Defence and NTNU’s Rector announced that the Norwegian Ocean Technology Centre is acquiring a HUGIN 6000 from Kongsberg. Minister of Defence Tore O. Sandvik highlighted that Norway is at its best where conditions are salty, wet and cold, and pointed to the critical infrastructure in deep waters that is essential both to Norway’s export revenues and Europe’s energy security. “Norway is a world leader in maritime research and ocean autonomy. HUGIN is the result of long-term technological collaboration between the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment and Kongsberg. It is a good example of a Norwegian high-tech success story. Dual-use technology strengthens our defence capabilities. When civilian and military technology development work together, we build national expertise that can accelerate development and innovation,” said Minister of Defence Tore O. Sandvik. The HUGIN drone can dive to a depth of 6,000 metres, enabling it to cover all Norwegian territorial waters. It can map between two and four square kilometres of seabed per hour, has a very high-resolution camera and can operate for three days without recharging its batteries. Expanding research opportunities “With HUGIN, our research communities will gain access to an advanced underwater drone that offers tremendous opportunities to explore and better understand the ocean. The Norwegian Ocean Technology Centre is important for Norway’s ability to maintain its position as a high-tech maritime nation. For us as a leading university, the acquisition of HUGIN is also an important part of advancing autonomous vessels, which also are important for protecting oil and gas pipelines as well as internet and power cables,” said Rector Tor Grande. The HUGIN will become part of the Norwegian Ocean Technology Centre’s growing fleet of ocean research equipment. Arne Rinnan, EVP and CTO at Kongsberg, explained that HUGIN was developed in collaboration with the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment 35 years ago. “HUGIN is the autonomous underwater robot that can travel far and deep, and that you can expect to return when it has completed its mission. Its reliability, robustness and ability to observe objects on the seabed and in the water column are unmatched,” said Rinnan. He said that Kongsberg is looking forward to many years of collaboration with NTNU. “I am pleased that researchers at the Norwegian Ocean Technology Centre will contribute to the further development of this technology. This will probably be the largest investment in the Fjordlab part of the centre,” said the Minister of Defence. The Norwegian Defence Research Establishment’s (FFI) HUGIN before a mission in Lake Mjøsa. Next year, NTNU may use its own HUGIN to map Lake Mjøsa. Photo: Merete Nyheim / NTNU NTNU’s underwater drones have been used for everything from locating bombs and grenades from the Second World War and mapping climate conditions in the Barents Sea to repairing a cable in the Baltic Sea after it was sabotaged. The opportunities for research and development are now being expanded. – The goal is to develop the technology and autonomy of tomorrow. And at the same time also giving researchers the opportunity to collect ocean data of a quality that provides new insights into the processes shaping the ocean, said Martin Ludvigsen. He works as Professor at the Department of Marine Technology and Project Manager for the Norwegian Ocean Technology Centre – Fjordlab. He will lead the development of NTNU’s HUGIN platform together with a larger team. – The HUGIN drone is an incredible platform for collaboration, where researchers from different parts of NTNU can work together, said Grande, highlighting security, biology, monitoring and the Arctic. Wide range of applications Autonomous and uncrewed vehicles above and below the sea surface will increasingly operate without expensive support vessels. They will also increasingly collaborate with one another to carry out missions. Underwater vehicles will remain submerged for longer periods and perform missions from beneath the surface. – NTNU is at the forefront of education, research and innovation in technologies and methods for the remote operation of autonomous vehicles, from the ocean to outer space. This benefits ocean management and value creation in industries such as offshore oil and gas, offshore wind, fisheries, aquaculture and shipping, and increasingly also security and emergency preparedness, said Asgeir J. Sørensen, Professor at the Department of Marine Technology. He highlighted that the investment in HUGIN and the collaboration with Kongsberg represent a significant boost to capacity building that will strengthen Norway’s national capabilities and presence in Norwegian waters. Climate insights and defence NTNU’s HUGIN will also be used to collect data for natural and social science research. “The HUGIN platform is the most effective tool we have for improving our understanding of what is happening underwater. NTNU’s current equipment takes two to three days to map the same area that a HUGIN can cover in one hour,” said Martin Ludvigsen. NTNU’s marine robotics research community is already involved in a number of major research projects in Norway and internationally. It is also involved in several research project applications. This is HUGIN 6000 NTNU’s HUGIN will be an important part of Norway’s largest research project, Arctic Ocean 2050. It will also play a role in an application for a Centre of Excellence focusing on the development of autonomy. In addition, it will be used in a Centre for Emerging Technologies, as well as in Norwegian and European defence research. Researchers and technicians at NTNU have previously helped other researchers investigate marine life off Hawaii and beneath the polar ice at the North Pole. Previous missions Underwater robots from this research community have been used to map Lake Mjøsa in close collaboration with archaeologists from the NTNU University Museum together with the Norwegian Mapping Authority. They have also been used to map cold-water coral reefs in the Trondheimsfjord and to patrol gas pipelines off Melkøya. Read more about NTNU’s autonomous inspection of a subsea gas pipeline This spring, the research community assisted the Oslo police in recovering Norwegian resistance fighters who had been executed and dumped into the sea in wooden crates by German forces during the Second World War. The operation was carried out in close collaboration with the crew of NTNU’s research vessel Gunnerus. – NTNU is the leading university in the world working with drone development and research in this way, with technologists collaborating across disciplines with natural scientists, archaeologists and security experts. When we work with relevant platforms such as HUGIN, we move closer to the research frontier and to different areas of application. A small number of research institutes are doing the same, said Martin Ludvigsen. This is the Norwegian Ocean Technology Centre The Norwegian Ocean Technology Centre will become a national flagship for maritime knowledge and technology and represents an investment in national security, green value creation and global collaboration. The Norwegian Ocean Technology Centre represents an NOK 11 billion government investment in new buildings, laboratories and equipment for NTNU’s Department of Marine Technology (IMT) and SINTEF Ocean in Trondheim, as well as NTNU’s Department of Ocean Operations and Civil Engineering (IHB) in Ålesund. The Norwegian Ocean Technology Centre – Fjordlab has laboratories dedicated to research on and in the ocean. Equipment worth NOK 400 million is being acquired for Fjordlab. The Norwegian Ocean Technology Centre is funded by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries together with the Ministry of Education and Research.
Blueye Robotics has unveiled a new generation of underwater technology with the launch of the Blueye X7 ROV, the upgraded Blueye X3 Ultra, and the cloud platform Blueye Cloud. Together, the systems extend Blueye’s ecosystem from underwater operations to integrated fleet management and AI-enabled data workflows. For the Ocean Autonomy Cluster, the launch reflects a broader industry movement toward tightly integrated autonomy stacks combining hardware, edge AI, and cloud-based mission control. Blueye launches next-generation ROV platform X7. Photo: Blueye Robotics Expanding underwater autonomy stack The new Blueye X7 and Blueye X3 Ultra represent two complementary tiers in Blueye’s next-generation underwater portfolio, combining increased operational capability with expanded onboard AI and improved imaging performance. The Blueye X7 is designed for complex underwater missions that demand high stability, precision, and modular payload integration. With seven thrusters enabling full six degrees of freedom and seven guest ports for sensors and tools, it is built for demanding operations such as inspection, search and recovery, aquaculture, and port infrastructure monitoring. The system also introduces onboard AI processing for real-time object recognition, tracking, and turbidity filtering directly on the 4K camera feed, with support for deploying custom AI models on the vehicle. Alongside it, the Blueye X3 Ultra brings upgraded capability to the compact inspection segment. It builds on Blueye’s established fast-deployment platform with improved 4K HDR imaging, enhanced positioning, and increased onboard compute power via NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX. This enables real-time image enhancement as well as AI-driven functions such as object detection and tracking. With three guest ports, the X3 Ultra maintains strong modularity while remaining optimized for rapid deployment and broad inspection use cases. The Blueye X3 Ultra ready for dive. Image: Blueye Robotics Blueye Cloud: unified data and fleet management Blueye Cloud provides a browser-based platform for managing ROV fleets, missions, and inspection data. Users can replay dives with depth tracks, sonar overlays, and synchronized media, and share results via simple links without additional software. The platform also introduces project-based reporting with optional AI-assisted draft generation, linking insights directly back to mission data and annotations. Replay any dive on the map, depth-coloured track, time-synced media, and multibeam playback, all in the browser. Integrated subsea ecosystem All systems run on Blueye’s shared software architecture, enabling synchronized updates and consistent functionality across the fleet. Combined with Blueye Cloud, the platform creates an end-to-end workflow from deployment to analysis and reporting. The launch strengthens the shift toward integrated subsea autonomy, where smaller teams can execute increasingly advanced underwater operations with less complexity and faster data handling. Blueye Robotics Blueye Robotics develops user-friendly underwater drones and robotic systems for inspection, monitoring, and operational tasks across maritime industries. The company combines compact ROV platforms, onboard AI, and cloud-based data infrastructure to simplify underwater operations and improve access to subsea data and situational awareness. Blueye Robotics is a member of both the NORDSEC Defence and Security Cluster and the Ocean Autonomy Cluster.
Les saken på norsk At DALO Industry Days in Denmark, the Copenhagen Orca sea drone was unveiled before a broad international audience. Developed in less than nine months, the new unmanned surface vessel (USV) has already drawn attention for its combination of speed, range, and autonomy. Trondheim-based Maritime Robotics has played a key role in the development. The Orca is designed for surveillance of vast maritime areas and protection of critical infrastructure both above and below the waterline. The vessel measures 13 meters in length, weighs just over five tons, and offers a payload capacity of 825 kilograms. With a top speed exceeding 40 knots, a range of 1,400 nautical miles (approx. 2,593 km) at low speed, and endurance of up to six weeks, it represents a significant technological leap in maritime security. Its wave-piercing hull ensures high stability even in demanding seas. Equipped with advanced sensors, communication systems, and cloud- and AI-based real-time data processing, the platform is jam-resistant and scalable for serial production. Built at an existing offshore wind facility in Denmark, the vessel can be delivered rapidly and in larger numbers. Photo: Copenhagen Group Norwegian autonomy at the heart of Orca Trondheim-based Maritime Robotics has been central to the project, delivering the “brain” that enables the Copenhagen Orca to operate independently, navigate challenging waters, and carry out missions without human intervention. For Maritime Robotics, the contribution is not only about enabling a single drone but about building a reliable, intelligent platform capable of safeguarding critical infrastructure and coastlines efficiently and sustainably. Maritime Robotics CEO Vegard Evjen Hovstein emphasizes that the project demonstrates how collaboration between technology-driven companies provides strategic advantages in rapidly changing security environments: “This collaboration is proof that specialized, technology-intensive companies can create significant strategic advantages when working together. It’s about more than individual products. It’s about building an ecosystem of expertise that can quickly adapt to today’s security challenges,” Hovstein says. Vegard Hovstein, CEO i Maritime Robotics. Photo: Berre Nordic cooperation in the lead The Orca is developed by Copenhagen Group in close cooperation with partners across the Nordics and internationally. The collaboration illustrates how a robust technological community can deliver advanced defense capabilities in record time. For Nordsec and Norwegian defense suppliers, the launch showcases how Nordic cooperation and Norwegian technology help maintain the region’s leading position in maritime autonomy and security. The development of the Orca is the result of close cooperation between Copenhagen Global and partners such as Maritime Robotics, Teledyne RESON, Teledyne FLIR, Radionor Communications, Microsoft, and Atreides. Following successful sea trials, the production line is already up and running. Photo: Copenhagen Group Copenhagen Global is also planning several additional vessel classes. The Copenhagen Sealeopard, another 13-meter platform, is set to launch later in 2025, followed by the 21-meter ocean-going Copenhagen Seawolf in 2026. Maritime Robotics will play a key role in these projects as well. Maritime Robotics is a member of both the Nordsec Defence and Security Cluster and the Ocean Autonomy Cluster, and also part of the FI Ocean Space Incubator. You can meet the company at the Defence Conference later this autumn. Video from the unveiling