Fellow: Dr Robert Dane
Focus: uncrewed military vehicles
Fellowship awarded: 2017
Importance to Australia. The Ocius Bluebottle provides vital surveillance of Australia’s vast borders. It achieves this as a persistent monitoring platform, which can stay at sea indefinitely.
Ocius overview: Domain Awareness | Intelligent, Networked, Integrated
Power large payloads, roam widely, and stay at sea for months at a time. Ocius USVs offer economic and operational advantages over conventional methods in a multitude of industries. Using solar, wind and wave power, these vessels can autonomously monitor designated areas for lengths of time.
What inspired you to pursue this area of research?
I watched a solar boat race on Lake Burley Griffin in 1996, where the solar boats had their solar panels lying flat on the deck. Everyone was trying to be 3% better than the competition by having 3% better hulls, solar panels, or electric motors. I kept thinking about how you could use the panels as sails for a seaworthy vessel.
In 1996, I invented and patented the 'solarsail' and designed the first 'solarsailor' prototype which won the Advanced Technology Boat Race in Canberra in 1997.
In 1999, I formed a company, which built several award-winning hybrid solar ferries and, in 2013, pivoted the technology to building uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) for 'dual use' applications.
In 2015, I met Lysle Roberts, a Spitfire pilot who was passionate about the SMDF and we started talking. Some weeks later Lysle, and Spitfire Australian President, Geoff Zuber came and visited us, where they met our engineers and students.
How does your research address existing gaps and challenges in your specialist field?
The Bluebottle has many unique design features that address gaps and challenges compared to other renewable energy powered Uncrewed Surface Vessels (USVs). These include:
- Use of three types of renewable energy (solar, wind and waves) instead of just two
- The ability to carry a large winch cassette in the keel (thanks to the SMDF) and
- The flexibility to launch and recover from a council boat ramp.
How will your research contribute to Australian sovereign capabilities and defence innovation?
Having the Australian-developed Bluebottle available as a persistent platform, which can stay at sea months at a time, atlow cost with minimal logistics, is a significant force multiplier when multiple Bluebottles are combined with each other, and with other assets.
What does the Spitfire Memorial Defence Fellowship (SMDF) and the funding awarded to you mean to you and your research?
The SMDF, sponsored the initial development of the 'reel in the keel' winch in our first Bluebottle BRUCE, which enables Bluebottles to deploy arrays and sensors to significant and varying depths.
At the time $30,000 was a huge amount of money for our company and we put it to good use with the first winches for Bluebottle BRUCE, which we demonstrated to RAN in August of 2017.
What else you would like to share about your work and its significance?
On 18 April 2024, Australia's Defence Minister launched the 2024 National Defence Strategy and the 2024 Integrated Investment Program. The Integrated Investment Program includes references to the Ocius' Bluebottle USV: www.ocius.com.au/blog/20240418_PressRelease/.
Articles and Links
For more information visit the Ocius website
Ocius Awarded Spitfire Memorial Fellowship | OCIUS. This annually awarded Fellowship was established by ex-WW2 Spitfire Pilots and their ground crews. It was set up by the Spitfire Association.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWYjdjgMoUc. Video of Bluebottle in action.