SPECIAL REPORT An innovative USV on show at Goodwood.
Goodwood FoS: AutoNaut Managing Director John White and Editorial Manager Phil Nicholls were lucky enough to be invited to the 2023 Goodwood Festival of Speed. Alongside seeing some awesome cars, this was also a fantastic opportunity to chat with a range of innovative companies.
Jesse Loynes, Fleet Manager at AutoNaut, explained the ingenious features of the USV on display. The solar panels on the deck of the USV power the assorted monitoring equipment on board the vessel, with the payload varying according to the project. The 3m AutoNaut has 175W peak output from the solar PV panels on deck, whilst the 5m has 300W peak output. The actual output depends on the latitude of operations, the season and the weather. However, the truly innovative engineering he Future Lab exhibit sat at the heart
T
was in respect of the four keel mounted
of Goodwood Festival of Speed. This
foils positioned fore and aft that propel
amazing pavilion featured a broad
the USV. Through clever use of springs, the
range of futuristic and interactive innova-
AutoNaut USV is powered by energy it har-
tions, all showcasing centred around the
vests from the natural movement of the
theme of ‘technology for a better world.’
waves. In a flat calm, the system can be
Much to our surprise, Future Lab focused
assisted by an auxiliary propeller.
on more than just cars. The last thing we
Extensive hydrodynamic testing has
had expected to see at the Festival of
refined the technology, while field trials
Speed was an Uncrewed Surface Vessel
and missions have proven its robustness
(USV) propelled by the motion of the waves,
in stormy seas. The AutoNaut is designed
but that was precisely what the engineers
to be self-righting and resilient in all
at AutoNaut were exhibiting.
weather and has survived 65kt storm
272 Inside sustainability