A new research and innovation project named U-SHIELD was announced, aiming to develop an autonomous underwater drone designed to protect critical infrastructure beneath the sea surface from threats and sabotage, according to the company's release.
The initiative is supported by an investment of DKK 25.97 million from Innovation Fund Denmark through its Grand Solutions program.
The project is a response to increasing security threats to Denmark’s and Europe’s underwater infrastructure, which have become more prominent due to the green transition and the expansion of offshore energy facilities.
U-SHIELD will focus on the development of technology capable of identifying and immobilizing unauthorized underwater vehicles near assets such as pipelines, communication cables, and offshore wind farms.
“The U-SHIELD project represents a major step forward in protecting our critical underwater infrastructure. By combining advanced technology and collaboration between leading experts, we can create a solution that not only protects our resources, but also promotes the safety and stability of our society,” said Tim Lysholt Jensen, Vice President Products & Technology at Teledyne RESON A/S, which is leading the project.
“The green transition makes us more dependent on complex energy systems below the sea surface, and therefore we must also be at the forefront of protecting them. The U-SHIELD project contributes to developing technology that can make our society more robust against threats to the systems we are all deeply dependent on – from energy supply to communication. It holds exciting potential for both Denmark and Europe, and we look forward to following the project,” said Innovation Fund Denmark’s Director, Cecilie Brøkner.
Participants in the project include Teledyne RESON, Aalborg University, the Technical University of Denmark, the University of Southern Denmark, and Copenhagen Subsea, which contribute expertise in underwater technology, mobile robotics, autonomous systems, and underwater propulsion.
Vattenfall is supporting the project by enabling field trials at offshore wind farms to validate the technology under real conditions.
The total project budget is DKK 36.51 million and the expected duration is three years.
Teledyne RESON A/S is a Danish subsidiary of Teledyne Technologies Incorporated, specializing in high-resolution sonar systems, sensors, and underwater acoustic solutions for defense, offshore, and research sectors.
Innovation Fund Denmark is a public funding agency under the Ministry of Higher Education and Science, supporting innovative research and development projects that aim to generate societal and economic value in Denmark.