Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles for Ecology Surveys (U-AVES) project is a collaboration between A-techSYN, Atlantic Technological University, BlueWise Marine, and Energia Renewables, to investigate the potential use of Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to  revolutionise ecological surveys in Ireland through .

The U-AVES project will utilise cameras and sensors deployed on a long endurance VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing) fixed wing UAV to capture imagery of seabirds and marine mammals in two Proof of Concept Flights off the west coast of Ireland.

This project aims to achieve a dual goal: optimising sensor selection, flight operations and aircraft controls, while also validating the technology’s efficacy in conducting large-range offshore ecological surveys.

In addition to the highly technological and academic aspects of the U-AVES project, BlueWise Marine aims to utilise our expertise in stakeholder engagement and promotion to define user requirements through engagement with industry and public sector stakeholders relevant to the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) industry ensure that the U-AVES solution meets the needs of this growing sector.

Findings from the project will be published to ORE stakeholders to assist in the future commercialisation of this service to the ORE industry.

Direct collaboration with Energia Renewables, an energy utility and developer of offshore wind farms in Ireland, will allow the project to work closely with the project’s target market.

This project has been supported with financial contribution from Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland under the SEAI Research, Development & Demonstration Funding Programme 2022, Grant number 22/RDD/851