R/V Skagerak - a floating technology lab for future research

At the turn of the year, the Faculty of Science and Technology was formed at the University of Gothenburg when the departments of the IT Faculty were integrated into the of Faculty of Science.  

The fact that science and technology now share the same faculty creates the conditions for groundbreaking collaborations - not least between IT and marine research.

"By integrating IT and marine sciences, we can create unique programmes and research projects that equip students for the labour market of the future," says Miroslaw Staron, Professor of Software Engineering at the University of Gothenburg and Chalmers University of Technology.

‘R/V Skagerak is super high-tech’

Together with some fifty students from the department of Computer Science and Engineering, Mirslaw Staron recently visited R/V Skagerak. And he is impressed.

"R/V Skagerak is super high-tech, much more advanced than I had expected, with more software than in modern cars," says Miroslaw Staron. 

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Embedded systems in a maritime research environment

On board the ship, the students got an exclusive insight into how embedded systems work in a maritime research environment. Miroslaw Staron highlights the opportunity to use Skagerak as a testbed for innovative student projects.

"One example of an exciting project is the development of a camera that can stream Skagerak's voyages in real time. This would involve technical challenges such as data compression and handling small electronic components in a harsh environment," says Miroslaw Staron.

He stresses that such a thesis would be both educational and valuable for the students:

"Skagerak is state of the art and working with these technologies would give the students a great advantage in the job market," says Staron.

 Skagerak is unique, but we need to use the ship for more than just marine research - testing autonomous systems and AI is just one of the things we can do on board.

AI and autonomous systems at sea

There are also great opportunities for the development of more systems with generative AI on board.

 "We could try running local generative AI models on Skagerak to improve route planning, experiments and rapid analysis. In the long term, we could develop autonomous systems for planning and carrying out experiments, with Skagerak itself carrying out much of the research work," says Miroslaw Staron. 

To realise these plans, more collaboration between IT and marine scientists is needed and joint projects are one way forward.

"During our visit, some of the students became interested in further collaboration with other researchers. Now we need to find marine scientists who want to be involved in developing the ideas," says Miroslaw Staron.

He also believes that there is potential to develop education in marine technology at the University of Gothenburg:

"We are the only ones in Sweden who currently have the conditions for this. By integrating IT and marine sciences, we can create unique programmes and research projects that equip students for the job market of the future," says Miroslaw Staron.

Call for marine researchers to collaborate on autonomous systems and AI

Continued dialogue between researchers and institutions is needed to take these initiatives forward. Miroslaw Staron is calling for interested marine researchers to collaborate on autonomous systems and AI on board Skagerak:

"I would like to find professors who work at sea and want to discuss ideas around autonomous 'missions' and planning of different research projects," says Miroslaw Staron, and continues:

"We need to communicate much better that we have a new faculty where technology and science meet. Skagerak is unique, but we need to use the ship for more than just marine research - testing autonomous systems and AI is just one of the things we can do on board."