- Posted on 17 Jul 2025
- 4 minutes read
A project to build new maritime technology using artificial intelligence to coordinate teams of robots has garnered more than $2 million in Australian Government funding.
Delivered through the Marintec partnership between UTS and Navantia Australia, the project will develop a multi-robot mission system, a technology that will enable a single operator to deploy and direct a team of autonomous robots to complete tasks in dynamic situations.
It has been awarded $2.08 million in funding by the Australian Government through the Australia’s Economic Accelerator Innovate grant scheme.
“Robotics and autonomous machines have the potential to revolutionise the maritime industry, taking on a huge range of tasks under and above the water including surveillance and asset maintenance,” said Director of Marintec, Frank Jensen.
“By applying cutting-edge artificial intelligence and autonomous perception to this emerging area, we will increase the resilience of robot teams to respond to unexpected situations rapidly as they arise.”
The two-year funding through Australia's Economic Accelerator will enable the further development of the multi-robot mission system and demonstrate it in a maritime environment through a surveillance and reconnaissance mission.
“We’re strengthening Australia’s sovereign capabilities through innovation and commercialisation of these maritime digital technologies, said Mr Jensen.
“With international interest in multi-robot mission systems, we’re building export markets and positioning the nation as a leader in maritime technology innovation.”
Marintec is a market-driven research hub dedicated to innovation in maritime digital technologies and advancing the capabilities of the maritime industry through multidisciplinary research, development and commercialisation.
It integrates UTS’s cutting-edge digital research capabilities with Navantia Australia’s deep maritime expertise to foster advancements in autonomous systems, asset management and immersive training.
“By bridging market-driven industry opportunities with deep-tech science, Marintec undertakes research projects that drive practical outcomes and commercial impact,” Mr Jensen said.