Autonomous ships and safe navigation. GUT implements an innovative project | Gdańsk University of Technology

The InSecTT (Intelligent Secure Trustable Things) project is an international research initiative based on the Horizon2020 program, which includes the most important companies and scientific institutions from all over Europe (a total of 52 partners from 11 EU countries and Turkey). They develop safe IoT systems (so-called Internet of Things) on a daily basis, supported by solutions in the field of artificial intelligence.

Gdańsk University of Technology plays a significant role in the InSecTT project as a leader in one of the key implementation areas and as a supplier of components and originally developed technological solutions, and the Maritime Office in Gdynia will be one of the first beneficiaries of the project that will be implemented over the next three years.

On Monday, 13 July 2020, an agreement was signed at the Maritime Office in Gdynia under which vessels indicated by the office will be equipped by GUT scientists with electronic systems and devices (known from, among others, autonomous cars) to improve the efficiency and safety of their work . At the same time, thanks to the use of technologically advanced and original solutions of GUT scientists, it will be possible to immunize ship systems against potential cyberattacks or radio interference occurring in some areas.

Pilot technologies in Tri-City harbours

Thanks to the activity of GUT scientists and the agreement signed on Monday, both Tri-City ports and surface vessels indicated by the Gdynia Maritime Office will be among the first in Europe to implement pilot technologies of the InSecTT project, combining the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence.

- The use of our technologies in the maritime industry will improve the efficiency of work and safety of surface vessels, it is also the first step to increase the autonomy of their work - said during the conference initiating cooperation the project manager on behalf of GUT, prof. Łukasz Kulas from the Department of Microwave and Antenna Engineering of the GUT ETI faculty. - They can also be used in the complex industrial areas of Industry 4.0, such as seaport infrastructure - he added.

- Consistent activities of the Pomeranian Voivodship Self-Government in the field of innovation policy, including the development of Pomeranian Smart Specializations, have become an impulse to implement projects that respond to market needs - added Leszek Bonna, deputy marshal of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. - These projects turn into concrete implementations. The initiative of the ETI Faculty of Gdańsk University of Technology and the Maritime Office in Gdynia is the culmination of dialogue and cooperation within Pomeranian industries with the greatest R&D potential.

- Maritime Office in Gdynia is vitally interested in cooperation with research units - assured MSc, Eng. Master Mariner Wiesław Piotrzkowski, Director of the Maritime Office in Gdynia. - On the one hand, it broadens knowledge and promotes new technologies, while on the other it contributes to improving maritime safety. The latter issue is of special interest to the office due to our statutory tasks. Cooperation with Gdańsk University of Technology within the InSecTT project meets these needs, all the more so because the office's fleet has recently been largely renewed by introducing modern units to it.

Gdańsk University of Technology is one of the leaders of the InSecTT program

Gdańsk University of Technology is the leader of one of the key implementation areas of the InSecTT program, an important supplier of radio and antenna components for embedded wireless systems enriched with artificial intelligence, as well as an animator of activities aimed at including students, young researchers and Polish companies to cooperate in the project.

- Thanks to establishing cooperation with the Maritime Office in Gdynia, scientists from GUT will have the opportunity to introduce practical implementations of their location systems for the Internet of Things and technology for safe and reliable wireless communication - adds prof. Jerzy Wtorek, dean of the GUT Faculty of Electronics, Telecommunications and Informatics.