Autonomous Ships and Safe Navigation. Gdańsk Tech Implements an Innovative Project
Gdańsk Tech and the Maritime Office in Gdynia will be among the first institutions to begin implementing the international and high-budget InSecTT project – dedicated, among other things, to counteracting cyberattacks within the so-called Internet of Things and improving navigational safety. Scientists from Gdańsk Tech will be among those responsible for implementing proprietary technologies developed within the project, whose total value exceeds 44 million euros.
Gdańsk Tech and the Maritime Office in Gdynia will be among the first institutions to begin implementing the international and high-budget InSecTT project – dedicated, among other things, to counteracting cyberattacks within the so-called Internet of Things and improving navigational safety. Scientists from Gdańsk Tech will be among those responsible for implementing proprietary technologies developed within the project, whose total value exceeds 44 million euros.
The InSecTT (Intelligent Secure Trustable Things) project is an international research initiative established under the Horizon2020 programme, involving the leading companies and scientific institutions from across Europe (a total of 52 partners from 11 EU countries and Turkey). These entities develop secure IoT systems (the so-called Internet of Things) daily, supported by artificial intelligence solutions.
Gdańsk Tech plays a significant role in the InSecTT project as the leader of one of the key implementation areas and as a supplier of components and originally developed technological solutions, while the Maritime Office in Gdynia will be one of the first beneficiaries of the project, which will be carried out over the next three years.
On Monday, 13 July 2020, at the Maritime Office in Gdynia, an agreement was signed under which the vessels designated by the office will be equipped by Gdańsk Tech scientists with electronic systems and devices (known from, among others, autonomous cars) aimed at improving the efficiency and safety of their operation. At the same time, thanks to the advanced technology and original solutions developed by Gdańsk Tech scientists, it will be possible to make the ship’s systems resistant to potential cyberattacks or radio interference occurring in some areas.
Pilot technologies in the Tricity ports
Thanks to the activity of Gdańsk Tech scientists and the agreement signed on Monday, both Tricity ports and the waterborne units designated by the Maritime Office in Gdynia will be among the first in Europe to implement the pilot technologies of the InSecTT project, combining the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence.
– The application of our technologies in the maritime industry will improve the efficiency and safety of waterborne units and also represents the first step towards increasing their operational autonomy – said during the conference initiating the cooperation the project manager representing Gdańsk Tech, Professor Łukasz Kulas from the Department of Microwave and Antenna Engineering at the Faculty of Electronics of Gdańsk Tech. – They can also be used in complex industrial areas of Industry 4.0, such as seaport infrastructure – he added.
– The consistent actions of the Pomeranian Voivodeship Government in innovation policy, including the development of Pomerania’s Intelligent Specialisations, have become an impetus for carrying out projects that respond to market needs – added Leszek Bonna, Deputy Marshal of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. – These projects are turning into concrete implementations. The initiative of the Faculty of Electronics, Telecommunications and Informatics at Gdańsk Tech and the Maritime Office in Gdynia is the culmination of dialogue and cooperation within the Pomeranian sectors with the greatest potential for R&D development.
– The Maritime Office in Gdynia is keenly interested in cooperation with scientific institutions – assured MSc Eng. Captain of the Maritime Search and Rescue Service Wiesław Piotrzkowski, Director of the Maritime Office in Gdynia. – On the one hand, it broadens knowledge and promotes new technologies, and on the other, it contributes to raising maritime safety. The latter issue is of particular interest to the office due to our statutory tasks. Cooperation with Gdańsk Tech within the InSecTT project meets these needs even more so as the office's fleet has recently been significantly modernised through the introduction of new vessels.
Gdańsk Tech as one of the leaders of the InSecTT programme
Gdańsk Tech is the leader of one of the key implementation areas of the InSecTT programme, an important supplier of radio and antenna components for wireless embedded systems enhanced with artificial intelligence, as well as a facilitator of activities aimed at involving students, young scientists and Polish companies in the project cooperation.
– Thanks to the collaboration established with the Maritime Office in Gdynia, Gdańsk Tech scientists will have the opportunity to implement in practice the localization systems for the Internet of Things and technologies for secure and reliable wireless communication developed by them – added Professor Jerzy Wtorek, Dean of the Faculty of Electronics, Telecommunications and Informatics at Gdańsk Tech.